Mirishira Accel World! (Old)
by Tusjecht
Summary: Never forget that Brain Burst is just a game, yet can teach you more than the real world ever can. An original story with no canon characters. A newer version is up! Visit my profile to read it.
1. Who am I and Who is she?

**A/N:** Since Chapters 1 through six mainly build on the relationship between the two main characters, you might like to skip to Chapter 7 to jump right into the action. (;

* * *

><p><strong>Mirishira Accel World<strong>

begins.

**I don't know a millimetre about Accel World!  
><strong>**アクセルワールドについてミリ知らない!**

.

Mornings. They're cold, _freezing_ cold, and it's only thanks to my blanket or they'd be a lot colder.

Well, at any rate, my body's not going to get up by itself. I'm not exactly a morning person, but a house can only provide so much...

Sliding my feet out of the bed, I quietly tiptoe out of the room, trying not to wake up the sleeping girl in the adjacent bed. Her flame-red hair spills out over the pillow and towards the edge of the bed; the air is filled with a pleasant and familiar scent.

That's my...how shall I say this. Misawa isn't my sister, she's my childhood friend and used to be my neighbour a floor above. But due to circumstances, she now lives with me. It's not awkward for us; we've spent what easily amount to years together. So don't get any wrong ideas about that, yeah.

Brushing my teeth and washing my face is over and done with, a simple affair. Misawa wakes up at around the same time I pass our room, as usual. Flicking on the kitchen lights, I prepare our breakfast; today, it'll be ham sandwiches with hot chocolate.

She's never a morning person, and as such she warmly welcomes the mug of hot beverage with her petite hands as she slumps into the chair a few minutes later. "Thanks for the meal," she mumbles, but hey, at least she tries.

"Thanks for the meal," I respond, and tuck in.

"What's happenin' today?" She's a little more awake now. "Where's our new school again?"

"Isn't it in your maps?" comes my guileless reply. "It's not the first time you've forgotten the way to school. You seem completely unprepared again."

"'Cuz I'm waiting for you to do it for me."

Misawa chuckles sneakily when I glance at her, half-blushing at that remark. She then manipulates several holographic controls and sends me a picture file - she had made a detailed map showing all the possible bus and walking routes from our apartment to the new school.

"Kidding."

"As usual. Eat, Misawa, it's getting cold."

That's how our days go. Nothing special about it, just a boy and a girl living together in a lonely home...

.

It's not like we wanted to live together like this. We're only twelve years old this year and about to enter middle school. Where are our parents when most children need them the most?

I'll tell you. My father is gone. Gone with a capital G, because something inside me knew that on that fine day when he walked out of the house with his suit and his favourite shoes, that he was never going to come back. My mother then became a shadow of the fine woman she used to be, gaining weight as she battled depression and attempted to cut herself away from the man she once called 'Dear.' I can tell; one does not simply throw out men's clothes in a box without any warning whatsoever.

Misawa...well. The Kitamuras used to live a floor above us, so we have plenty of sweet memories of playing at each other's houses. Those were the days with her and her parents, I'd say.

After the horrifying car bomb by some cult called 'Aumu Shinrikyo' or something like that, it was just her left. She has no relatives in Tokyo, so the first person she came crying to was...you know. Me. Not like I could do anything about it, but well, Dad left just a week before that. Bad things come in pairs too, and we were just seven years old.

At least we've stayed together all the way afterwards. Mum let us sleep in the same room, and maybe, she had requested for us to be in the same class in elementary. It's a nice thought that this woman whom I rarely talk to makes nice gestures for our welfare, and having money for food in our stomachs is one of the ones on the top of the list.

But enough of the past. It's painful to discuss the past.

Today...Misawa and I are going to enter a new phase in our lives: Mitsukihara Middle School.

'And _together_,' I hope, because I sure as hell need someone familiar by my side.

.

...which, surprisingly enough, didn't materialise as expected.

The electronic tag stared me in the face the moment we stepped into the school boundaries and connected to their Local Network. We had both turned and looked at each other's eyes, each other's lips, hoping against hope...

"Class 1-A." "Class 1-B."

Our faces even fell at the exact same time, oh the irony.

We still followed the directions to our new classrooms, but a strange, impenetrable fog of silence hung between us all the way. Boys and girls older and taller than us strode confidently past while we bowed our heads and averted our gazes; and suddenly, we were there. The point of separation.

The two doors were separated by a wall like the character _kawa _(川). We both stood there awkwardly...

"...see you around," Is what she says, but I grab her wrist at the last second.

"Keep your Chat open," I tell her with surprising forcefulness. "Let's...um, it's for..."

She nods and lightly touches my hand with her own. That's the beauty of childhood friends: some things, some intentions, they're understood automatically without the need for words because we know each other so well...

"Later, Gunsou."

And so we part and enter our classes...

As my eyes rove around a classroom full of unfamiliar faces, each person doing the same or merely gazing at their tables, one thought comes to mind.

_Without her, it's weird._

**tbc.**

.

Further notes:

As of Chapter 13, I have decided: to hell with the canon cast! I don't have to rely on the original characters for inspiration!

After all, the rest of Accel World after Volume 4 (that is, the end of the anime run) was all about the game, the game, and the game. There's so much that Kawahara could have done with his worldbuilding of both the Unlimited Field and the Real World, yet he chose to further his plot with in-game happenings and moar girls. There is a genuine lack of attention paid to the Accel World universe - and this extends to fanfiction as well. So what if you're on par with Kings? So what if you're a Level 9/10, kick butt at the flick of a finger, and have Kuroyukihime/Fuuko/White Cosmos at your fingertips? You're just a middle-schooler with problems in the real world. How are you dealing with them, pray tell?

Just pause to think about it - Kuroyukihime, Vice-President of the Student Council, suddenly spending a hell lotta time with the fat and bullied kid, as well as his friends! Not only that, she starts to bring in an outsider from a neighbouring rich girl's school who has no relation to her except for the business regarding the Caretaker club! If you remove Brain Burst from the picture, a lot of things just don't seem to tie up.

So my goal here is **not** to detail how my gang of OCs get to Level 10 / beat up all the Kings and shit / conquer the next evil legion. No. I want to address the point that when one sinks so much time and energy into a game, you change as a result. And when you have loved ones to take care of, that becomes more than a small issue.

Yet at the same time, Brain Burst, being the hyper-realistic fighting game that it is, has the ability to teach you more about yourself than you thought you knew. The journey to self-awareness is a one-way road and for the better.

The question is whether every journey has a happy ending, don't they?


	2. Who's that girl?

**A/N**: I will have to clarify about the two characters' names before I carry on. This work is set in Japan, and as such, Japanese names are [LastName, FirstName], and the last name is used instead of the first name to address someone else you're not quite familiar with.

However, in this work I've reversed the order for the benefit of non-Asian readers; so Gunsou's full name in its proper order is Kihara Gunsou （木原 群壮）, and Misawa's is Kitamura Misawa（北村 三沢市). Two more names will appear later whereupon I will elaborate further.

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know a millimetre about Mitsukihara Middle School!<strong>  
><strong>美月原中学校についてミリ知らない!<strong>

.

[M: Class is boring.]

[G: Such misfortune, I'm having P.E next.]

[M: On second thoughts...wait what, P.E class on the first day?!]

[G: Yeah. Y'know, it's my bad luck.]

[M: We've just got our first assignment...bleh.]

[G: As expected from the top class.]

[M: Whatever. At least I can see the track from here. Wave to me, won't you?]

[G: ...]

.

_Just a categorisation test, they said. It'll be relaxed, they said._

My chest was burning; it is _still_ burning, long after I completed the sixth and final round of the school's 400m running track. My body is clearly in complete and utter disagreement with the idea that eleven- and twelve-year-olds should be made to do a timed 2.4km run on the first day of school. I gulped down some water and pulled off my Neuro Linker from my neck to wipe off the sweat.

"Very good, Kihara, very good..."

The stern-faced teacher gave me an approving nod and walked away to comment on the performance of my new classmates. One of the girls - what's-her-last-name-again - jogged over to me and asked in a high, bright voice:

"Kihara! How did you do for the run?"

"How did I do? I feel terrible, of course."

"I meant your timing! How fast did you run?"

"My timing? Oh, uh, wait a second."

The Neuro Linker. Portable quantum personal computer and whole-bunch-of-technical-terms, whatever. Every kid my age has one that is used for everything and anything. Such as recording our attendance or taking our timings, as is in this case.

Slipping it back onto my neck, the Augmented Reality interface of the Neuro Linker appears in my vision as semi-transparent holographics. A flashing window shows my timing: 12 minutes and 05 seconds. Besides it, in flashing letters, are the words "BEST TIMING!"

"I have...the Best Timing?"

"As I saw! You're the fastest in our class, Kihara!"

"That's rubbish! The other guy was right behind me!"

I seemed to have doused her happy mood or something, because her face fell and she turned right around to go back to a circle of girls. With my thirsty throat and throbbing head, though, it wasn't as though I was in the mood for casual conversation anyway. I turned back to look at the classroom block, and there she was, smiling cheekily as ever.

.

"Gunsou."

Looking up from our shared desk in our bedroom, Misawa stood in the doorway holding a clear bottle half-filled with an inky black liquid and a comb in the other. Without further ado, I closed the homework file I was working on and follow her to the bathroom.

Isn't it wonderful how some words are unnecessary between two people who are close?

"So, who complained this time round?" I try to make it sound casual.

"My mathematics teacher. God, she's a _dinosaur_."

"Even after telling her your grandmother is American? Her red hair was the talk of the town in those days."

"Yes, and she still insisted I dyed it."

Tenderly stroking a lock of hair that was still bright red, Misawa sighed heavily.

"And look at what's happening now."

"I know, I know."

I didn't like dyeing Misawa's hair either. The smell of the dye stayed on her hair long after she washed it, and it always made her feel weird afterwards, having her hair in black.

"At least it's not so...eye-catching now, I guess."

"Harh harh. You've said that the last three times my hair was dyed." She replies dryly.

"Well, what can I say."

The nozzles make soft squirting noises as I squeeze the hair dye liberally, blotting out the beautiful red hair sweep by sweep. Every pass or so, a strand of hair would remain undyed and tenaciously red, as though resisting being coloured unnaturally. The comb made quick work of it - too quick, I feel.

"Eh, I've got homework too, okay. Don't take so much time." Misawa gives me a meaningful glance in the bathroom mirror.

"Ah, sorry."

I squeezed the bottle a little too hard and it really squirted out this time; fine jets of dye flew backwards and landed on my shirt and the chair. The chair was fine, my shirt would not be, and I hesitated for a moment; picking up on that, Misawa turned and saw the stains, and used the towel draped over her shoulders to wipe it up.

"I take that back, Gunsou."

"No, I'm fine. This shirt used to be yours anyway, so it's old."

"But who was the one who said our sizes were similar?!"

The next few minutes pass in silence as I move on to the ends of her hair, carefully applying excess dye over the locks to dye it raven. My heart seems to sink with each lock I colour.

"...hey, Gunsou."

"Hm?"

"Speaking of eye-catching...how's your classmates? Are they good?"

I pause to consider and recall. "Mhm..yeah, they're okay. Some of them were from our old class, remember the anime geek?"

"He's there? In 1-B? That's quite the shock."

"I don't know how he studies after watching and knowing that much anime."

"I see. My class has the Track & Field captain too, it's not much of a surprise though."

"Ichijo, did I remember right?"

"Yeah. Tatesuke Ichijo, and boy, he grew taller this year again."

I dye another handful of hair, and move on to her last lock. The last bit of red hair that is dyed Misawa.

"...there is one girl who talked to me today, though, during PE."

"Oh? From our old class?"

"No, she's new. Can't remember her name though, and it's pretty weird. It was Gekka...Gakke...something like that."

"Gekkagawa? Mikiseki Gekkagawa?"

"Yeah, that sounds like it. How is it spelt?"

Misawa tilts her head to one side as she thinks of that weird name. Unprepared for the sudden movement, I almost get dye on her shirt.

"Her last name is...'River Under The Moon' and her first name has three kanji characters too; it's 'Beautiful Miracle.'"

"Gekkagawa...Mikiseki. Weird name."

Mulling it over, I finish dyeing the last bit of her hair. "Done," I sigh. "Now you're totally black."

Standing from the chair, Misawa turns and examines the job in the mirror. She seems oddly tense.

I take off the plastic gloves to wash and clean the hair dyeing equipment. Then, something occurs to me:

"How'd you know her name? Gekkagawa is in my class, not yours."

"I've heard about her," Misawa simply says. "Apparently she transferred to an elementary school here from Hokkaido when she was younger."

"Hokkaido? To Tokyo? No wonder she's so..."

"So?"

"So...augh, can't put my finger on it. She just made a lot of friends on the first day, that's all."

Keeping the things in the cupboard, I meet Misawa's gaze - her face has a mixed expression that I can't identify either.

The black hair makes it worse. It makes her look...angry.

"Is something the matter?" I ask her cautiously. Blinking, Misawa simply stares at some point away from me.

"N...Nothing then." She finally answers after a moment. "Just can't understand that girl either."

"'Kay then. Leave some hot water, please."

I leave so that Misawa can bathe first and sink into the sofa to wait. The day has been tiring for me, and standing while doing Misawa's hair didn't make it any better.

The lights are on when I lie down, but by the time Misawa washes her hair, the ten-minute timer on them will have elapsed and I myself will have gone to sleep. Should I do that when I still have homework to do...?

Suddenly, the door opens.

"I'm home!" A bored and tired voice comes through the doorway.

I lift my head and see the familiar silhouette of Mother coming in through the doorway.

"Welcome home, Mom..."

That's all I can get out before I lose all sense of wakefulness.

**tbc.**

.

Further Notes:  
><span>As for the girl Gunsou met during PE class, her name just had to be described that way because Japanese, like Chinese, has plenty of homonyms for the same readings, so describing one's name by each character, or as a short phrase, is one way to extend the introductions. Her properly-ordered name is Gekkagawa Mikiseki (月下川 美奇跡). The Track & Field captain is also Ichijo Tatesuke (一助 盾介).

Please read and review, and let me know how it's been going so far.


	3. What's Direct Connection?

**A/N**: Do bear with me as I introduce more Accel World mechanics in as controlled a pace as possible while still moving plot. It's just me being a little...perfectionist.

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know a millimetre about Direct Connection!<strong>  
><strong>直接接続についてミリ知らない!<strong>

.

Darkness envelopes my senses.

It's cool, maybe a little chilly. Perhaps it has something to do with sleeping uncovered on the sofa.

But suddenly, I feel a new sensation; a soft, heavy weight presses down on my chest. Warmth spreads throughout, as though a spot of sunshine has fallen upon me. It's calming.

When was the last time I felt so at peace?

From the darkness, a familiar voice is heard, seemingly within my head. It's soft and tender in tone; I've not heard her speak like that in awhile, have I?

[»...goodnight, Gunsou.]

And then I fall into the warm arms of sleep.

_._

_._

"...Huh?"

Just like that, I wake up. It only happens if I was seriously exhausted the night before...

...Or perhaps, Misawa had roused me by accident; She had fallen asleep on me, probably last night after she showered; now, the source of the mysterious 'weight' is clear.

A single black cable is connecting our Neuro Linkers; a Direct Connection cable. Besides sharing large files and data between users, there's a unique feature of directly connected Neuro Linkers: Thought Speech.

I don't know how it exactly works, but when two people have their Neuro Linkers connected this way, they may communicate by simply thinking it. Perfect for private conversation, but usually, only family members and close friends do this. That's because when two Neuro Linkers are connected, each person can access all of the data in the other's Neuro Linker, making hacking a rather real possibility. And I think it just looks weird for people to be Connected via the neck.

I'm touched by the gesture though. Misawa has been sleeping in that kneeling position all night; surely her knees are sore from that. While I ponder how to get off the sofa without rousing her, I run a lock of her newly-dyed hair through my hands, examining my work. So far, so good: not a single strand of red can be found. I've relieved, yet disappointed at the quality of my work, and she chooses the moment to wake up; her eyelids flutter sleepily.

[» G'mornin'.]

"'Morning."

[» Had a nice sleep?]

"Not with you on top of me, no. And will you not use Thought Speech when there's no need to?"

"Eh hehehe..." Misawa finally opens her mouth and giggles. "Why not?"

I avoid the question and roll my eyes. "C'mon, get off me."

My mother emerges from the kitchen just as Misawa rolls off me; I wonder if she had given any thought to the fact that Misawa has spent the night sleeping on me.

"Morning kids."

"Morning Mum." We answer in unison, to which Mum doesn't even blink.

We're just like a family after all.

.

Class is boring as usual. While the teacher drones on about basic algebra, I'm only pretending to take notes; what is far more interesting than learning the basics is seeing how those basics actually apply.

It's no surprise then, that several helpful applets online had taught me everything that there was to know about simultaneous equations with two unknowns by the time the lesson finished. Unfortunately, my devotion to the applets were a distraction, and before I realised it...

"Kihara!"

"Wha-uwah! Sorry, ma'am-eh?"

The expression of the normally-stern mathematics teacher was not one of displeasure, but wonder? She seems checking something in her holographic interface, her fingers sliding across unseen surfaces.

"...instead of paying attention to my class...you're studying by yourself. Hmph."

So she was looking at the applets I was accessing it seems. Her eyebrows fall as she fixes those black eyes upon mine.

"Are you suggesting that my lesson is _boring_, Kihara?" Giggles quickly followed from elsewhere in the class.

"No, ma'am."

"So will you close your other windows and pay attention?"

"I'm too poor to pay such a high price for your attention, ma'am." I muttered as quietly as I could under my breath.

"'Too poor?' Are you in financial difficulty, Kihara?"

_What? How did she hear that?!_

"Er, no ma'am, no! I'm sorry, I meant to say that I'll pay attention in class, ma'am!"

"No excuses," she waved his finger at me. "Detention, Kihara. Perhaps you need to be taught how to keep quiet too."

"Wha..."

_I should have known better,_ I think to myself. This teacher teaches Misawa in 1-A as well, making her the same teacher who complained about her red hair on the first day.

"And while you're reflecting on your mistakes, Kihara," her voice drills into my head. "Gekkagawa can share with you about why she can't seem to pay attention in class either."

My eyes instantly flick to the girl seated at the front row- and our eyes meet.

"..."

Her face suddenly seems to redden slightly; she turns back towards the front with abnormal speed before I can completely register the change in colour tone, leaving me clueless.

_What's with this girl, acting cute and all._

.

Somewhere in the school, I'm sure Misawa is going to still be waiting for me after class. I can only hope that me and Mikiseki can finish cleaning up the spare classroom fast if I'm going to make dinner tonight.

Which, even though we're supposed to work together, has ended up in me doing almost everything; sweeping the floor, mopping the floor, and cleaning the anachronism of a blackboard, while all she does is clean the desks. By the time I'm done - and in twenty precious minutes that could be better spent - my shirt is soaked in sweat and is sticking to me.

"...you seem used to this, Kihara!"

That girl gives another one of her bright smiles, proudly holding her own rag - which doesn't even have a fraction of the dust that I cleaned. But for some reason, my frustration is appeased by that smile.

"I clean my home all the time."

"I see, I see."

I tug at my shirt to get some fresh air inside and dry it as much as I can, and that's when Mikiseki speaks again.

"Well...um, thank you."

The unusual tone of her reply catches my attention and I turn around.

"...uh, _why_ should you thank me?"

"Because...because...well, a lot of guys wish they could Direct Connect with me."

How on earth does that answer my question? Is she trying to lead me on or something?

"...yeah, but I haven't. And I don't see why should we Connect."

She blushes and smiles again. "That's why! Well, see you tomorrow then, Kihara!"

And then she just walks out the door like that. I'm literally speechless and it takes me a few seconds to figure out the implied message.

"So...that's a cute girl's problems, is it? Well, lucky me..."

I turned to pack up my things when the door opens again. Thinking that she forgot something, I didn't even turn to face the door.

"Where were you the whole day, Gunsou?"

"Did you forget something, Gekkagawa- what?"

The look on Misawa's face is _not_ a pleasant one. There practically could be steam coming from her very ears!

"You," she hissed. "Where were you?"

I hold up my hands to try and stave off her building temper. "I was given detention, Misawa! Mrs Shiratori, your maths teacher caught me not paying attention!"

"So why are you together with _her_ in the same empty classroom?"

"We were told to clean it up!"

My explanation is backed up by the dirty cloths and pails behind me, and Misawa cools down at last.

"...I'm sorry." "...I'm sorry."

We both apologise at the same time, even. At least I can get this timing right.

"I should have told you I got detention, Misawa."

Breathing in deeply, Misawa huffs a sigh and the tension evaporates. "Yeah, you should have. Shall we go?"

"Okay."

.

The walk home isn't very long once we get off from the bus. Over the last few weeks, we've experimented with a variety of routes, and while this one is longer, the bus doesn't get packed in the mornings and evenings.

A stretch of road goes up a small hill between two apartment blocks. These are the cheaper, "medium-rise" apartments popularised by some government campaign to increase spending and boost the economy. At any rate, it didn't go well, and not all the streets are lit. When Misawa and I walk this route after dark, it's understandably quite intimidating.

But we walk through it anyway, our footsteps echoing in perfect unison. We walk in silence because there's always time to speak to each other later.

Just as we round the final bend and reach the top of the hill, the sun touches the horizon in the distance and turns the sky red-gold.

The world is bathed in warm light.

Misawa and I pause to watch the sunset. Rays of light sparkle where it reflects off glass rooftops, creating a surreal beauty with an urban aftertaste.

An arm snakes around my waist and pulls; Misawa leans her head against my shoulder as she huddles.

"...it's pretty."

Her voice is relaxed and calming, as though all the troubles and stress of school is gone with the wind. I place a hand over hers in acknowledgement.

"If only our days could last like this forever, Gunsou..."

"...we were always going to have to grow up."

I don't like how my reply kind of ruins the mood, but it's the truth. After all, I helped to raise her in place of a father for years, setting aside my childhood for hers.

"...tch. You're always so serious."

She lets go of me but still forms a small, warm smile. Half the sun has dipped below the horizon by now.

"Let's go then. I still have to prepare dinner."

"Okay."

And so we depart for our home. I glance at the setting sun one last time before we enter the glass doors of the entrance.

The last few rays of golden light are partially obscured by a passing cloud. For some reason...I can't help it, and an image of a hand raised in farewell comes to mind.

I turn my back and enter after Misawa. The moment of bliss we shared is now over.

**tbc.**

.

Further notes:  
>I don't know how that sunset departure is going to come off to you, dear reader. It's significant to me, but will you understand it? Ask me if you don't!<p> 


	4. What's this feeling in me?

**A/N**: Finally, some action. Read on!

**I don't know a millimetre about first love and jealousy!  
>初恋と嫉妬についてミリ知らない!<br>**

.

As part of the government's million-and-one initiatives they've been rolling out over the last few years, at least 75% of all school-age youth must be involved in physical activity thrice a week, or take up a role in a sports club. But I'd rather fall into the 25%.

My family - however much as it is a family of two-and-a-half - will always come first, and I know that a sports club will take away time that I need with them. I've seen my sporty friends in elementary school have their free time after school burned because of all those extra club activities, meetings, and training; I, on the other hand, have chores to do at home that no one else is going to do if the house is to be up-kept. I'm practically the man of the house.

...Actually, the correct phrase should be that there is no one _left_ to manage the house. Mother works long hours at the office and Misawa and I have school. So in a twisted sense, I could say I'm the houseman. That's not a light responsibility to place upon a person who just entered middle school a few weeks ago.

In fact, haven't I already internalised that role ever since my dad left? Things have to be done, or Mother would have overworked herself.

For the above reasons, the first club I had indicated my interest for was the Library club. It was relaxed, uninteresting, and most importantly, the least time-consuming.

"Kiharaaaa!"

From somewhere in front of my desk, Mikiseki's high voice calls my name.

"The club admission list is out! Have you seen it yet?"

Her joyful face must be in complete contrast with my usual bored expression, I think. I merely shake my head lightly.

"Here!" Mikiseki raises her hands and sends me a nominal roll of our class. The list appears before me as a translucent sheet of paper, and I instantly find my name:

**KIHARA, GUNSOU: TRACK & FIELD**

I can practically hear my hopes crashing. I now deeply regret having put in effort into that retarded farce of a categorisation test; I should have just done my regular brisk pace.

"Uh, why the long face, Kihara?"

Her tone is still light and high-spirited. Did she get into the club of her choice? Surely that must have been the case.

"I've been placed in Track & Field," Dejection creeps into my voice. "I've just worked hard to work harder."

"I'm sure you'll meet many good people, I think! I know some of the seniors there who are very friendly!"

_To you only, perhaps?_ I leave that thought unspoken to not hurt any feelings.

.

[G: Lord help me, I'm in T&F now.]

[M: HAHAHA. I got into Dance club :3]

[G: Well good for you then.]

[M: Relaaaax. You're not gonna be alone, Ichijo's gonna be there too.]

[G: How's that supposed to be good news?]

[M: Well, it's not bad news either. And he's a nice guy too!]

[G: Not like I know him beforehand...wanna meet same place for lunch?]

[M: Not today; I wanna talk to my upperclassmen, I've never tried anything remotely related to Dance before.]

[G: OK.]

.

As it turns out, I'm eating lunch with Mikiseki, of all people.

It wasn't as though we invited each other or anything, but it simply was that Mikiseki had joined me at my table completely unannounced. She got some brief stares, but even though she seems completely unperturbed by them, I for some reason feel nervous.

It's not really about eating with a girl; I have all three meals with Misawa daily. But..._this_ is different. Whenever Mikiseki talks, I avoid her eye by looking this way and that, and more often than not, whenever I do I will find someone staring at us. They always turn away whenever I see them staring.

"So, how's your upperclassmen, Kihara?" She asks me out of the blue.

"Haven't met them yet. I've just been scanning that list for other unlucky people."

"Don't say that," She furrows her brow. "Trust me, Track & Field is a really good club. All that training will make you stronger!"

"Yeah, and I suppose I'll go home late and tired."

At this remark, Mikiseki actually puts down her chopsticks and gives me an unreadable stare.

"Why are you so pessimistic? Don't you see things in a good light?"

"I don't know," I answer truthfully. "Whether a glass is half full or half empty, it still means you have water, and you'd better drink up what you started. Speaking of which, are you really going to throw that away?"

I take this opportunity to glance meaningfully at the half-finished carton of juice she is about to crush and dispose of. Mikiseki hastily withdraws her hand.

"I don't consider myself pessimistic, I guess," I continue. "Let's just say that I believe everyone should treasure the little things they have in their lives, and the food on the table is a good place to start. That's why I don't like people who waste food."

"Ahh...So, you're a realist, I'll give that to you. But don't you, y'know, play games or stuff? Surely you must have something to do in your free time."

"Sure I have. There's dinner to prepare, the floor has to be swept and mopped, and today's Thursday, which means that I have to get the laundry done by tonight, or I'll be busy on the weekend drying clothes..."

Mikiseki holds up a hand to stop me from rattling further. I note that her palm looks so much softer and smoother than my own coarse ones.

"I get it, I get it. So you basically don't have time for yourself?"

"And that's the way it's always been."

"My god." Her eyes widen slightly. "Don't you have a...a social life?"

"None, and I don't need one." My thoughts briefly flick towards Misawa and the Dancers she surely must be chatting with at this very moment. Where could she be now?

"You need to expand your worldview, Kihara. No, seriously." Mikiseki is making a face halfway between admiration and disgust, and still making it look painfully cute. She reaches into her pocket and withdraws a slim roll of familiar black cable.

"Oh no, you don't." I instantly retort. "Why in the world do _you_ want to Direct Connect with _me_?"

"I want to share something with you. In privacy." She adds.

"No. Absolutely not. We are not anything more than classmates. This isn't appropriate."

"It is, Kihara. Surely someone like you has to have something you're not telling. Won't you?" Mikiseki raises an eyebrow and plugs in one end into her Neuro Linker.

"I have nothing for you, Gekkagawa. I have things to do and someone I need to find, right now." The colour is rising to my face; I stand and try to hide it by swiftly keeping my food containers which I brought from home.

"Lemme guess: that person is Misawa Kitamura?"

I freeze for only a fraction of a second, but it's enough to give away the game, so I don't bother lying. "You know more than you let on, Gekkagawa."

"'Course I do. I have friends, ya' know?" She gives that same bright smile she always makes, and continues.

"If you're wondering where she is, look no further than the other corner of the canteen," Mikiseki glances to her right. "She's having lunch with Tatesuke Ichijo, the new Track & Field team Captain."

I follow her gaze, and- my heart seems to stop beating.

Of course I didn't notice her, not with her hair dyed black. But the black hairband and little necklace she always wears, the little giggle she makes every now and then is the same. And across the table is a familiar face I saw very often on the running track of our elementary school...

Misawa. Having a fun-filled meal with Tatesuke. And she said he's from her class, no less.

Tatesuke says something. Misawa seems to freeze, then tilt her head as though to ask a question. Tatesuke merely nods and holds out a hand with another black cable in hand.

As I stand frozen to the spot, Misawa gingerly reaches out, and slowly accepts the cable and plugs it into her own Neuro Linker.

A deep hollow opens up in my chest and an emotion overflows from my heart. It's not pain. It's not anger.

What's this feeling of **loss**...?

"Kihara, I..."

I don't stay to listen to whatever Mikiseki has to say; I step forward towards them. I don't know if she's still following me. I reach their table; a small circle of curious students have gathered to see this 'couple'. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears.

I push past a guy and finally reach their table. Tatesuke seems to be speaking with Misawa with Thought Speech, because their hands aren't typing on a virtual keyboard. He's tall; he's at eye level with me even though he's seated on the chair.

"Excuse me..."

They both turn and look at me; Misawa instantly turns bright red and freezes, and Tatesuke raises an eyebrow in question.

"...what's going on?"

**tbc.**

.

Further notes:  
>With every chapter, we'll get closer to Gunsou installing Brain Burst. Please be patient, dear reader!<p> 


	5. Why can't I speak?

**A/N:** I'm sorry for going OOC in the first version of this chapter. I owe my thanks to HybridsRose for helping me correct the characterisation of Gunsou and Misawa, and Optimura for lifting my spirits and giving me some inspiration on what to write instead.

**I don't know a millimetre about friends to confide in!**  
><strong>内緒の友達についてミリ知らない!<strong>

"Excuse me...what's going on?"

To his credit, Tatesuke is calmer than he appears, and the raised eyebrow merely returns to its normal position. He glances left and right, as though assessing the situation. How arrogant of him, it appears.

Misawa's reaction, too, calms down. It's odd, but somehow, as her face shifts from surprise to tension...wasn't my heart hammering at the ribs of its cage just seconds ago? What happened to those feelings inside me mere moments earlier?

"...we're having a private chat, as you can see, Kihara."

"...I'm...uh, yeah. The same."

They even answered together. Something about that is off, as if they're not quite on the same page. If it's private enough to warrant a discussion via Thought Speech...could I still dare ask about it?

"I see. If that's the case, then...sorry for bothering you."

"No, it's not! I'm okay, Gunsou-?"

Misawa hastily interjects and makes to grab for my wrist just as I withdraw my hands to my sides; I shoot Misawa a questioning look. Blinking twice, she recovers and returns me a glance.

"I'll just...I'll just go."

Something shifts in Tatesuke's eyes, and his hand twitches. I don't stay to follow it, though, and leave the gaggle of students crowding around them.

As I leave the canteen, I think I hear my name being called. But I can't hear it; I'm too far away to listen. Thoughts from the past return to my head...

.

I've always taken care of Misawa since young. Her parents died when we were young, and she came to us for help. I didn't know she had no relatives; I didn't know my father was never going to come back after he had left a week before. I thought that my dream of having my best friend and neighbour move into our house had come true.

I should have seen and realised what the strained look on my mother's face had meant at that time. I should have realised that something was very wrong when I couldn't find those highly-polished shoes my father would wear every Wednesday, nor did my parents' room smell of his soap anymore.

I should have known. I should have known.

I should have known earlier that he was gone. Not when Misawa had once innocently asked me: "Hey Gunsou, where's your papa?" When I couldn't give an answer, I should have known.

Instead, I had run to his room and found the desk cleared and the wardrobe empty. Those shoes that I enjoyed messing around with and seeing my reflection in them were gone too.

That's when I had found his letter. I don't remember what it says any more; I must have thrown it away or something. But three phrases still stand out in my memory: _take care, family, _and_ Misawa._

That was my last moment as a child. That was when I finally accepted that I now had something more to do than clean the house.

I must care for and love this household like my own, I realised.  
>I can no longer laugh, play, and live like a child, but walk with purpose and meaning for the sake of others, I registered.<br>And I will do as I'm told to reduce the burden on my mother and not just to simply follow instructions, I concluded.

And as for Misawa...did he know Misawa moved in with us? I always wonder why he wrote her name in that letter, and in hiragana that my seven-year-old self could read.

Perhaps he knew I couldn't be happy if I stopped caring about her, after seeing us play so well together.

Maybe he knows too, that I can't live without her. After she moved her last box of belongings from her house to ours, that's what I vowed.

_I'd set aside my childhood and endure so that she can grow up in our house_, I had thought. I took it for granted that she'd always live with us.

How am I supposed to deal with a Misawa who seems to have found someone else?

.

Mikiseki finds me personally after we finish cleaning the classroom. At least it's our own familiar classroom and everyone is still around.

"...hey, Kihara."

I'm completely stoned and don't respond. Three hours of lessons have passed in the blink of an eye because I didn't pay any attention to them.

"Kihara. Hey, you okay?"

Looking up from my table, our eyes meet. She looks concerned; her fingers are tapping the broom that she's holding in her hands.

"You've zoned out the entire day. Is it about lunchtime?"

Should I tell her what's really on my mind? Should I really burden someone else with my secret, that I've been living without a father for years?

"N..Nothing. It's nothing."

"Oh, come on. Even you can tell a better lie than that."

She's got me. I don't think I was ever a good liar anyway.

"Well...it's about..."

"Gekkagawaaa!"

From across the class, one of Mikiseki's girlfriends call to her.

"Hey, we're gonna go! Aren't you coming!"

"Eh..uh, give me a few seconds-"

"We're going now! C'mon, I want to try that new store that opened!"

"But- er- wait-"

It's almost comical. Mikiseki's girlfriends drag her away while she alternates between that cute smile and protesting at how tightly they're gripping.

My heart sinks even lower. As I get up to keep the cleaning stuff, no one gives me a second glance. I don't trust anyone besides Misawa to keep my secrets, and she herself seems to be hiding something from me.

What do I do?

I open up my Messaging application and send her a quick text:

[G: I'm going to go home soon. Where are you?]

Several minutes that feel like a lifetime pass. I'm out of the classroom and am in the corridor when her reply finally comes:

[M: You go on ahead first. I'll be home for dinner.]

My eyebrow twitches at the curtness of the message. At this point, I now feel quite sick, and type a direct question:

[G: Are you with Ichijo?]

[M: Yes. Don't worry, he's not bothering me.]

_God, why does this have to happen?_

As I start on the long ride home, I've never felt so lonely before.

.

Misawa arrived home at 7.30pm tonight, just as I finished cooking and serving dinner. Tonight, it's an unusual amount and variety: I made three large servings of buckwheat noodle with soup, with frozen crabsticks, sliced beef, and plain rice cakes. On the side are scrambled eggs and Chinese tow miao vegetables I found in the refrigerator, and a dessert of ice cream waits in the freezer.

"Wow, that looks good!"

Her face lights up like never before for the whole day and she eagerly takes a seat. I hang up the half-apron and grab a glass of water to drink before I sit down.

"I was...bored. That's all." I reply tonelessly.

Perhaps I should have said something along the lines of "I was trying to take my mind off this afternoon's events," if I wanted to tell the truth. I didn't try to think about what to make: I had just cooked and cooked and cooked.

"It sure looks delicious. Thanks for the meal!" Misawa clasps her hands before she tucks in.

"Thanks for the meal," I whisper sadly.

She gives me a quizzical look before slurping her first bite of noodles. I don't meet her eyes; I just pick up my chopsticks and eat the food in silence.

Several minutes pass in near-silence. I wonder when will my mother get home; I don't want to have to keep this amount of fresh food in the refrigerator again. The minutes pass, punctuated only by the sounds of Misawa eating.

By the speed at which she eats, she must be hungry. I'm only halfway through my bowl by the time she finishes.

"Ahh~ that was good! Thanks for the delicious meal!"

I can't even bring it in me to respond any more. I just nod and close my eyes. I don't want to look at her happy face knowing she has shared it with someone else.

"Hey. C'mon, what's bothering you?"

I hear her step closer, so I open my eyes to face her. She's got that same look in her eyes, but this time I now know what it is.

She's looking at me with pity.

"I'm perfectly fine," I snap, louder than I mean to. "Nothing's bothering me."

"You're a bad liar, Gunsou. I can tell something's been on your mind since this afternoon."

_This afternoon._ Oh God, it takes all the will in me to not snap and let it go. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears.

"Is it...is it about Ichijo?" She asks in a soft voice. "Is it about why we Direct Connected?"

_Very direct, aren't you._

"...Yeah." I finally reply.

"Well...the truth is, I asked to Connect to him first. He...he asked me a question that I couldn't reply just like that."

_What?_ I can hear my heart stop.

"Wh..Why?" Is all I can get out.

"Because...because..." I see her expression change. She glances from left to right, right to left. She's hiding something.

"What is it, Misawa," I ask very quietly. "That you can tell Ichijo, but not me?"

My voice comes out _too_ low, _too_ unfriendly, and her eyes lock on mine. My knuckles whiten as I try to clamp down on the building tension, but I can see it; she's taking it the wrong way.

"I...I.."

She's stuttering. I've never heard her stutter before, never in my memory.

Should I even continue..?

It's breaking my heart to see her like this; I turn away to hide my face.

"N...Never mind."

She lets out a sigh from the corner of my eye. My hands are numb and I'm digging my own fingernails into my palm.

"Gunsou, I-"

"Never mind."

It kills me to not know, but between that and a crying Misawa...I'd choose the former. I never wanted to see her cry.

I stand and nearly hit her; she's been leaning closer and closer. As though she actually wanted to tell me something.

But what was I just about to say to her if I had continued? Do I deserve to even say that?

I clear our bowls noisily. I want to take my mind away from this, to throw myself into the work of running the house.

"Let me help, Gunsou." She offer a hopeful hand which I wave away.

"I...I'm fine, Misawa. I'm perfectly fine."

As she leaves the kitchen, we both know it's the biggest lie I've ever told. My hands tremble continuously while I wash the dishes. My eyes burn with tears I didn't even know I had.

_Why am I so alone?_

As I put away the last plate, I realise it's because I wanted to be; it's the wrong question to ask myself. What is wrong with me then? Shouldn't I care for her by being with her when she needs me?

_...does she need me? Does she trust me?_

And to those, I have no answer.

**tbc.**

.

Further notes:  
>It's no excuse to unleash your frustrations upon your characters, I've come to realise. I wrote the first version of Chapter 5 when I was in a severely bad mood owing to family issues. I desperately hoped for a means to make the situation better, to have someone or something I can blame...and it showed up in my writing.<p>

I'm not sure when can I next update with Chapter 6. I'm still recovering and I have an overseas exercise for three weeks until March 17.

I still love writing though, and will continue this story and work towards the moment when Gunsou and Misawa finally get Brain Burst.

HybridsRose and Optimura; Thank you two so much.


	6. I should have said something!

**A/N:** This will easily be my last update for this week and the next. I hope the change in perspective from this chapter (and the next few?) will make up for it!

**I don't know a millimetre about expressing my true feelings!**  
><strong>自分の気持ちも言えずについてミリ知らない!<strong>

.

_I...I'm fine, Misawa. I'm perfectly fine._

The tension between us disappears instantly, and as he turns back towards the kitchen sink, I feel the weight lift from my chest. If he wants to lie, then so be it; I'm sure he'll tell me the truth later, won't he? I exhale and skip off to the living room to stretch and wind down.

"Man, he sure is acting weird..."

Flopping onto the sofa, I sweep my abundance of hair - my new black hair, I mentally remind myself - and lazily open up a couple of emails on my Neuro Linker. My old classmates have exchanged some messages about their first few weeks in their middle schools, I've got to share my own later! My friend Akemi from 1-A has also sent me some tips on how to clear today's homework; oh, is she ever the helpful buddy!

I let my eyes linger on one particular email: an update from an online store showing me that a pretty red dress is on sale. My lips tug themselves into a smile as I gaze longingly at the cute model donning the dress and wishing it was mine.

I saw that dress a week ago and instantly fell in love with this one-piece dress, with its short, flared skirt, long and slender sleeves, and the colour of the dress brightening from black at the chest to bright red at the sleeves and skirt. It's so lively, it's so _me_. Which is why I've been pestering Gunsou to let me buy it ever since.

He had denied it with a flat "No," much to my disappointment. I mean, I get that he runs the house (most of the time, that is), but man, can't he lighten up? Our purse strings don't have to be that tight, and a girl's gotta buy clothes. Can't he understand that?

Well...at least he can take care of the house where I can't, I have to thank him for that...

*CRASH*

...It'd be best if he could do it quietly, maybe?! What's the racket he's making in the kitchen?

I get up from the comfy sofa and reach the kitchen just in time to see him drop a bowl in the sink; it must have slipped from his hand. Butterfingers. And he's the one who didn't ask for help!

That's when I hear something over the sounds of rushing water and clinking plates...

...Is that Gunsou _crying_? My jaw actually drops at this; I've never seen him cry before in my life!

I think I should say something, anything. But what should I say?

I take a step back- and bump into the wall of the kitchen just by the doorway. The *_THUD_* echoes like a gunshot and he whirls around, eyes frantically searching for the source of the sound-

He _is _crying! There's no other reason why his eyes would be red, is there? Our eyes meet for a fleeting second and he turns right back, not saying a word.

Gunsou has 'Leave me alone,' written all over his face, something I can see even though it's my first time seeing him make such an expression.

Or is it..? I struggle to recall; wasn't there a day long, long ago in our childhood that he had seemed to be steeped in the depths of pain and suffering?

"...Misawa?"

He's calling me? I look up and realise, I've blanked out completely. How odd of me!

"Are you okay?" He asks in an emotionless voice. He sounds more like his usual self now, at least...

"...Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." I recover and reply. I blink a couple of times to clear my mind and our gazes lock in the space between us-

_ Boy_, I sure hadn't noticed that he's just as tall as I am now; we're both at eye level. Gunsou sure has grown, indeed.

He closes his eyes before I can get a closer look and knits his brows ever so slightly closer.

"...That's good then. Goodnight."

In his same old tone, he walks away and out; out of the kitchen towards the bathroom. A minute passes and I can hear the sound of the bathtub being filled with water. I check the time in the corner of my vision: 8.42pm.

Since when does Gunsou bathe before me, and so quickly after dinner?

I head to our bedroom anyway and sit at our desk. The reading light senses my presence and automatically switches on while I open up my assignments all at once, letting the holographic windows crowd my vision of the desk. I can't push too many assignments to after my bath.

My fingers are flying over the keyboard, tapping options and writing answers when the question I should have asked him there and then suddenly resurfaces from the back of my mind.

_Is Gunsou alright?_

I freeze to contemplate the question; I've always assumed that Gunsou was fine and healthy, but...come to think of it, I only see him during mealtimes nowadays!

Texting with each other during class only diverts our attention; I'd rather he doesn't get any more detention than he has to, and Mikiseki bothers me. Texting doesn't have the same feel as a chat with him in person or a Dive Call either.

And when he does talk to me...it's always about me or us. Whether I'm hungry, what should he make for dinner, whether we've got sufficiently little homework to go for a shopping trip. The realisation that I rarely ask about him..._guilts_ me.

At this very moment, Gunsou picks this moment to finish his shower. My back is to him, but the smell of his shower fills the room with a calm, refreshing scent. I turn my head back to see him; again, his back is to me, his hands clutching the towel around his waist. He rummages in his drawer for a pair of pants.

"...Crap, the laundry."

He's probably only muttering to himself, but I hear it anyway. My thoughts from just a second ago echo in my ears.

_Is it too late to act?_

He's standing straight up, he's going to take care of our laundry before he's even dressed properly! What should I do?

"...Gunsou?"

He shuffles out of our room; it's definitely not like him to forget the laundry, nor bring in fresh clothes. And did he really not hear me? I stand from our table; my homework files autosave.

"Gunsou!"

He stops just at the door. His hand twitches slightly.

"Let me help you, please. I'll do the laundry instead."

I really hope that didn't come out too forceful. He's still at the door, as though unsure of what he just heard.

"Take...take a break, please."

At this, Gunsou finally turns around. For the first in a long time...a smile is tugging at the corner of his mouth. He audibly exhales a sigh of relief.

"...Thanks."

I begin to make a move on the laundry basket inside the toilet, and I brush past him close enough to hear his mumble.

_It's okay._

We don't talk again for the rest of the night. He finds some clothes and completes his homework; I split my time working on the easy stuff and loading clothes into the washer and dryer. It's been awhile since I did the laundry, but I don't try to ask Gunsou for help and focus on getting it done myself.

It's the most I could do anyway, right?

.

I finally finish and turn into bed just as Mum - Mrs Kihara, to be precise - reaches home. I bid her goodnight and close the bedroom door. Blinking to adjust to the darkness, I feel my way to my bed and climb in.

Gunsou and I have always shared a queen-sized mattress for as long as I can remember. I heard it used to be his parents', but after Gunsou's father left, his mother and Gunsou swapped mattresses for some reason. We got the big blanket too, and so every night that's how we sleep. It's warm and comfy, so I don't see what could be wrong with it.

As I tuck in, I realise that my side has a _lot_ of blanket. I turn to look at Gunsou, and as I thought, he has hardly any blanket.

In fact, the way he's sleeping facedown suggests that he just crashed and slept immediately. He really must be tired, I guess.

I get out and circle the bed to his side, and push him over onto his back. It takes considerable strength to prop his head and shoulders up to get his pillow under him properly, but I manage anyway. Finally, I tug a decent amount of blanket over and tuck the sleeping Gunsou in properly, the way I would liked to be tucked in myself.

At last, I'm done and I'm feeling drowsy too. Back on my side, I slip under the covers. Have I done enough for him today?

"...Goodnight, Gunsou."

I whisper to the ceiling, not knowing if he hears it or not. But it's finally enough to set my heart at ease. I close my eyes.

Before I'm overcome by the darkness, I swear I could hear him whisper in return:

"Goodnight, Misawa."

**tbc.**  
>.<p>

Further notes:  
>I originally intended for this chapter to begin explaining Brain Burst, but due to time constraints, a lack of proper planning, and a pressing need to show more of Misawa...this chapter, and the next few will probably all be from her perspective. I think I need to show more of Tatesuke too anyway.<p>

For the uninitiated, a Dive Call is using the capabilities of the Neuro Linker and executing a Full Dive: much like being plugged into the Matrix, one assumes control of a virtual body and its senses; this body is called a Virtual Network Avatar. They are mostly humanoid, but avatars like pigs and other animal-themed designs can be suitable avatars. I've pretty much skipped this section because it's not relevant. Not yet.

Expect no further updates for this week; I'm going to head to the field tomorrow to fire my first live artillery rounds! Should I really be lying in bed so carefree and writing fanfiction? Dx Pack, Tus, pack!


	7. I don't know what Brain Burst is about!

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in writing this chapter! I guess it's just part of the challenge in bringing out Misawa's character.

**I don't know a millimetre about Brain Burst!**  
><strong>ブレイン バーストについてミリ知らない!<strong>

.

Man, it's raining today. Like, cats-and-dogs heavy rain, and you can't see anything further than a hundred metres.

With all the favourite outdoor spots for eating now soaking wet, the canteen is predictably crammed with students. Gunsou told me he wouldn't be able to meet me for lunch, so I ended up eating with Tatesuke again today. I don't mind the company anyway, and besides, he's a nice guy, isn't he?

Tatesuke had messaged me during class, which is pretty normal when the lessons are boring. He'd asked me out to lunch again and I accepted with glee. I mean, after word got around that Tatesuke is _the_ Tatesuke Ichijo, Captain of Track & Field, and a man among boys, every girl in Mitsukihara seems to wet themselves with excitement whenever he passes. I guess being a head taller than most boys in school will do that. Not only is he tall, he's also sociable and kind.

So whenever he asks me out to lunch, I'm never gonna pass up an opportunity to smirk at the other girls. Who wouldn't want that little bit of pride from being associated with a guy with status?

And have I mentioned he's tall? I sure like my guys tall and commanding.

Today, however, he's a little...strange. He keeps looking this way and that, as though he's wilting under my gaze. I mean, hey, that's not how a guy should talk to girls! He should be confident and sit straight up, and for the Track & Field star, that goes double.

"I have...something I want to tell you, Kitamura."

"Err...yeah? What is it?" I raise an eyebrow and give him the classic 'I don't know what you're talking about' face.

Tatesuke looks away. Is that...colour I'm seeing rush to his cheeks? I don't know how, but it looks out of place on his face in a humorous way.

"I can't say this openly, Kitamura," He turns back and gives me that oh-so-serious face of his. "I need to say this...privately."

That's what he wants, huh? Well...I glance around first. Throughout the canteen, everybody is just eating as usual. Some girls queueing to buy dessert from the nearby stall are giving us glances - probably giving _him_ glances - and that's about all the attention we're getting.

I feel a little uneasy to not see Gunsou's familiar face, but that feeling has gotten a lot better in the few weeks I've been at Mitsukihara. And I sure hope he's not with that Mikiseki girl...

"Ahem."

Tatesuke clears his throat just when I turn back. "Sorry about that, I..." My gaze drops to the thing he's holding in his hand: the connector of a Direct Connection cable.

He wants to Connect to me _now?_ Again?

"Uh, Ichijo, maybe we can do this somewhere else..."

"...Well, about that, don't you think you and I leaving the canteen together will cause quite the disturbance?"

So, he's thinking it from that angle? Well fine by me then. He asked for this meeting after all.

"Okay," I accept the cable and plug it in. "But you better make it quick, because I'm hungry."

[Perhaps you should eat while we talk then,] Tatesuke speaks via Thought Speech while he pecks at his food. [It _might_ take awhile.]

..._Okay_.

[So, Kitamura, how is your life at home?]

_What? What's he trying to aim for here?_

[Eh, everything's okay, heh. What about yours?] I smile disarmingly and try to steer it away from myself.

[I'm okay, thank you for your concern,] Tatesuke smiles lightly in return, but it seems slightly colder than before. [Though I don't think that you've understood my question yet...]

Tatesuke sips some of his drink and sets down the cup- and fixes me with a resolute stare I've never seen before. His eyes, once warm and friendly, have grown..._strange_. Excuse me here while I deal with a sudden case of butterflies in my stomach, but my opinion of him is changing pretty fast!

[It's pretty hard to miss you, I admit. Your bright red hair is something I look forward to every day.] He closes his eyes as though deep in reminisence. [That's why I think...I need to say this before I say what I actually came here to say...]

Tatesuke takes in a deep breath. Like he's on the edge of admitting a very private thing...Oh wow, is he about to...?!

[I've always liked you, Misawa,] He utters my name for the first time! [I always looked forward to seeing you and your red hair at school, and at times, I...]

Aww, he's blushing!

[So...um, yeah.] He finally finishes, and awkwardness enters the space between us. [I...like you. I always have.]

I burst out laughing.

Loud, raucous, stomach-hurting laughter! I'm sorry, I can't help it that _another_ guy has confessed to me!

I suppose I should explain something because Tatesuke looks so darned confused, but the face he's making is only make me laugh harder. Oh, to hell with it, I laugh until I can't laugh anymore.

A bunch of people are now staring at me laughing, the cable linking us both, and from their faces they too know what's going on. I spot a couple of my girlfriends from elementary; they give me a knowing wink. I return them a smirk. Poor Tatesuke...

[Sorry about 'that,] I lamely reply to Tatesuke's bombed face. [But you gotta know something first...] I pick up my fork and point it lazily at his face.

[You're not the first guy who's confessed to me, y'know? What do you think was my reply to the first guy?]

[You...Don't tell me, you're with...] The colour drains from his face. It's so comical, I almost break into laughter again.

['No,' of course! I'm not in the mood for a boyfriend! So, sorry to have wasted your time, but I guess you just got turned down!] I reach up to unplug the cable-

His hand reaches out from nowhere and grabs my wrist!

"_No_."

Oh darn. What switch did I flick in him? Tatesuke's reaction is fast, almost violent! And his expression, it clouds over for a second...

He slowly calms down. [I'm sorry,] He apologises, but the damage is done. Whispers quickly carry all around the canteen and they only serve to boost my confidene.

[Just...one more thing, please.] He gives me a look not unlike those of puppies; is he trying for one more chance? Heck, I'll give it to him, out of respect for his reputation. He wouldn't want to be beaten by the same girl twice...or does he?

He clears his throat twice while I tap my feet in impatience. [Well, c'mon, what'cha have to say now?]

[I have to give you this. No, I must give you this game.]

One of my eyebrows rises. [The heck you talking about? Didn't your mama teach you to not let a girl wait on a guy?] I cross a leg over the other.

He just carries on selecting something from his interface and swipes his hand towards me in some exaggerated sweep; a window appears in the centre of my vision: _Do you accept this unknown program: BB2039? Caution: This program's publisher is unverified. Unknown programs may install malicious spyware into your Neuro Linker._

[I just want you to better understand yourself,] He continues is a somewhat hurt voice. [Please accept this gift.]

[Uh...seriously?]

[Brain Burst is a secret program that only people who have been using Neuro Linkers since birth can use.] He continues. [Among other things, it will completely change the way you look at the world, or even destroy it. The choice is yours.]

I lazily wave my hand. [Spare me the speech, or use simpler words please. What's gotten into you?]

[Misawa.] He looks me right in the eyes. [Please...accept my feelings.]

Well, points to him for persistence, I guess! I casually reach forward and hit 'Accept.'

[Well there. I accepted your program and feelings. Now I guess I gotta- woah, what?!]

Fire. From our connected Neuro Linkers, the entire canteen turns into a firestorm! It seems so real...and then I realise it's all generated images. Tatesuke and the rest of the people in the canteen are perfectly fine, so it's all just a projection of the flames in my vision.

[So, you can see the flames, huh.] Tatesuke nods slightly. [Good, that's good.]

[What's with those flames? A cheap scare?]

[It's a reaction speed checker. I'm guessing you play FullDive games often?]

[Yeah, but I've never heard of games that need to check my reaction speed.]

[You'll see.] A small smile appears on his lips. [Brain Burst is...special.]

The flames gather around us and quickly condense into a progress bar before me. In stylised font resembling metal struts, the English words "BRAIN BURST" appear above the bar, half-full and slowly filling. I suppose that's the name and installation progress for this game.

[That's quite a big game you're sending,] I casually remark. [Does the installation take that long?]

[Yes, it does.] Tatesuke nods and picks up his drink. [It'll take awhile, so shall we eat in the meantime?]

Oh right. My half-eaten food is cooling. I pick up my fork and eat in silence. At least Gunsou made a pretty good lunch, so even if it's not so warm anymore, I still eat with gusto.

[Your lunch looks pretty good, Misawa,] Tatesuke remarks. [Does your mother make it for you? I bet she's a good cook!]

Man, he couldn't be further from the truth. [Nah, Gunsou makes it for me. Don't you know him? He just joined the Track & Field team recently.]

[Ahh, Kihara. He cooks for you? That's weird, Misawa.]

At the third mention of my name, I put my foot down. [Sorry Ichijo, but can you not call me by my first name? I don't feel that you know me well enough yet.]

Ouch, his face looks like I slapped him, but he gives in. [Uh...okay.]

I almost feel bad for him, knowing that he feels more towards me than I do to him. Just then, the progress bar finally finishes, and a new message appears:

**WELCOME TO THE ACCELERATED WORLD!**

[Welcome...to the...Accelerated World?]

[_Kasoku Sekai e Youkoso_.] Tatesuke translates for my benefit. [The installation is complete, Kitamura-]_  
><em>

I yank the cable. "Thanks, but I gotta go!"

"Hey- But, wait! I haven't finished!"

Too late, Tatesuke. You're just another guy who has a crush on me.

.

Both Gunsou and I had P.E class to round off the day, so rather than head straight home, we showered properly before dressing and taking the bus home. As usual, we sit together on the bus, but this time feels different.

I guess it's because of the meeting and Direct Connection with Tatesuke earlier. In all honesty, I feel loads better with Gunsou than other guys; sure, Gunsou won't talk to me in the same way as I do with my guy friends, but I can always count on him being there. It's laughable how the other guys who had a crush on me promised all sorts of things but never quite had the courage to follow up, but Gunsou will always make the meals, do the laundry, and make me take a shower before I sleep.

I don't think I need another guy in my life. Having my dad would be nice, of course, but he's dead, so I can't exactly be choosy. Out of fatigue, I rest my head against Gunsou's shoulder and relax my neck.

"Tired?" Gunsou asks me softly.

"Mhmm."

"M'kay."

See? He understands me better than any other guy who likes my hair does.

"How much homework do you have?"

"Nuh...none that I have to hand in tomorrow." I mumble sleepily.

"M'kay. You're gonna sleep early today?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then. A light dinner is in order, then..." He drifts off and thinks to himself.

I smile to myself. Good 'ol Gunsou, always thinking for us. I reach over and clasp his arm.

He places his own hand over mine in assurance I will never get from another guy, not even Tatesuke.

**tbc.**


	8. Am I in a nightmare, or am I in a dream?

**A/N:** Well, now. I'm now at Chapter 8, something that's sadly an exception among my works. The next furthest I've ever gotten with a fanfic is six chapters of _The Accelerated World_...

Well, all the better then. I personally think that _Mirishira Accel World_ makes more sense than _TAW_, but it's just a personal preference. Hee. Time to move onto the necessary evil bit, and explain Brain Burst from the perspective of an addict.

And because I think plot is not moving fast enough, I will now make an effort for 3000 words and above to up the tempo.

**I don't know a millimetre about being mindful of other's feelings!**  
><strong>感情の意識ことについてミリ知らない!<strong>

.

It's a familiar scene.

Just like any weekday morning, my parents are dropping me and Gunsou off in front of our school. Our old elementary school, painted a proud but dulling shade of bright red and white. I hop down from the electric car like I always enjoyed doing so, no matter how many times my parents told me to not.

"C'mon Gunsou! I don't wanna be late!" My seven-year-old self happily chortles.

He on the other hand, gives me that strained smile that looks like it's forced. The way his eyes always cast themselves downwards...how could anyone miss those? "Mmm, yeah," he mumbles in reply, and in slow, measured steps, comes down from the car like the good boy he always is.

"Heyy. Are you awake yet, sleepyhead?" I reach up to poke his cheeks-

He's too slow to react to my finger, and my finger prods his soft flesh. Only then does he wake up from his stupor.

"Eh...why are you poking me, Misawa?!"

"You didn't sleep enough last night, didja? Mummy always says children who don't sleep enough won't grow up!" I resolutely answered.

"Now kids, are you going to stay here and argue all day, or are you going to go to school?"

...Y'know, the weird part is that when my mother speaks, its in _my_ voice. It's been a long time...have I forgotten her voice?

No, wait. That's not the only change.

Why is...Uh, why has the world gone dark? It seems that only thing that exists now is my parents' car and Gunsou...

"Sorry mum, see you later!" I mouth the words with innocence I no longer have. Gunsou and I walk away from the car-

Shit. I feel really sick now.

"Eh, Misawa, where's your water bottle?" From far, far away, Gunsou asks me that question. I turn to look at my bag only to realise that it was still in the car.

Make it stop. Stop this, stop this dream now!

"Daddy, Mummy-" I had turned around to look at the vanilla-coloured car in the distance. It's a vanilla dot far, far away, waiting at the traffic junction.

My black world turned white. And black again.

There is no car. No more Daddy, no more Mummy.

"Daddy..! Mummy..!"

I still didn't understand it fully, had I? Several other cars burn, but the only one I'm looking for is the one that looks like ice-cream, with a little star sticker at the back of the car.

Everything just...explodes in size. I feel small, so insignificant, so helpless.

_My parents...Mum, Dad...I want to reach out to them!_

**[»IS THAT THE WISH YOU WANT TO MAKE?«]**

Words, written in quick, broad strokes. They appear for an instant and vanish as quickly as they came-

Cold.

_Icy_ cold. I feel sticky. It's dark all around. My heart is thrumming so _fast_-

"Misawa? Hey, are you okay?"

I don't register his voice until he calls me for the third time, and I turn to face his silhouette in the darkness. He's hunched over with sleepiness, but he's definitely looking at me-

Before I can break out into tears, I tear the sheets away from me and throw my arms around Gunsou, holding on as tight as I can. I just need his warmth, his support now.

He doesn't move at all, thank goodness. I know he understands, and for the next few minutes we stay that way in silence, hugging each other in the darkness at some ungodly time in the morning.

_*Thump*, *thump*, thump*._ My heartbeat slowly comes down. I slowly stop shaking at last and pull away from him.

Now that my eyes have adjusted, I can make out our bed and the state of disorder it is in; I had kicked the sheets about in my sleep, apparently, and probably woke up Gunsou as a result. He reaches up to stroke my hair.

"It's that dream again, isn't it?" He says it more like a statement than a question, and I simply nod in acknowledgement. His shoulders rise and fall and he tilts his head to the side slightly, as though contemplating what drink should he make for me. He always has. I don't usually have relapses that often, but when I did, Gunsou would always make me a hot drink, no matter what time it was.

"Go back to sleep, Misawa."

"Eh?"

"Umm...uh..."

C'mon. Gunsou _never_ hesistates. If I can count on him for anything, it's always knowing what to do. So, shouldn't he make me a drink? I sure could use one now. I glance at the clock in the corner of my vision: 4.17 AM.

...Oh, I didn't take out my Neuro Linker last night. Whatever. I don't exactly take it out every night, especially if I use the alarm functions.

"...Alright, whatever. Come, I'll get you something." He relents anyway and climbs off the bed - rolled off is more accurate - and slowly shuffles out.

I stay frozen right where I am for a few minutes until the smell of hot chocolate wafts its way into our room and lures me over to the kitchen My usual red cup waits at my seat, steaming slightly; Gunsou is still over at the sink making his own cup.

Mmm. Never underestimate the power of hot chocolate to wake anybody up regardless of the time!

I bring the cup to my lips and sip, letting the hot beverage slowly warm me up from the inside. _Ohh_, it feels so good, melting away the chills of that one childhood memory I never feel good about.

Opposite, Gunsou sits and slowly drinks from his own cup. From the amount of steam, I can tell he made his hotter than mine, which means he's gonna be up for awhile too...

"Sorry for waking you up." I say in apology. Well, I mean, having my nightmare is one thing, but I probably kicked him awake this time. It'd be funny in another situation, though!

"It's okay," he nods and takes another sip. "I didn't sleep very well either."

"School is tiring, huh?"

"Yeah...and, other things too." Another sip.

Is it just me, or did that sound wrong to me? "What happened at school, then?" I ask curiously.

Gunsou doesn't answer immediately and just continues to sip from his cup before setting it down at last. The temperature seems to drop by a degree.

"I...I saw you Direct Connecting with Ichijo again yesterday."

Uh...what? I set my own cup down too.

"Hey, are you _spying_ on me?" I let my voice rise and justifiably too. Well c'mon, just because we didn't eat together doesn't mean that he look for wherever else I'm going to!

"I'm not, Misawa, I'm not," Gunsou raises his hands in defense. "I was passing by the canteen earlier, and well...geez. It's not like I could ignore it, okay?"

"Well, I think you should, because Ichijo is just a friend. And we're not anything more than that." I briefly think back to the conversation I had with Tatesuke and my very public rejection. Wasn't our reactions clear enough, if he had been observing the whole thing?

"Which then begs the question of why you two even Connected to begin with." Gunsou utters in a single breath. It's not a rhetorical question, just Gunsou's way of expressing his annoyance. Right now, however, it's getting on my nerves. Like seriously.

"Gunsou, come on. I'm not trying to hide anything here. Why won't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you-"

"But that doesn't sound like it!" I retort. "If you really trusted me, you should trust that I can take care of my own things!"

"I- But-"

I've won. "I'm no pushover. If you didn't know that, then now you do. I can handle things _myself_."

I drain my cup in one gulp and slam the cup down on the wooden table. "Thanks for the hot chocolate, I'm going back to sleep."

I have the sense of mind to not slam the door shut as well, for the well-being of Mrs Kihara. Flopping back onto the bed, I stare up at the ceiling; it's quiet except for the sound of the heater operating, and there's nothing else to be heard.

Nothing...else? As I realise what that means, regret settles into the pit of my stomach, a hungry, gnawing feeling that robs away the warmth of the chocolate.

Gunsou cared for me, but I just about lost my temper with him. Even after he made me a drink. And...ah, geez. I now feel worse than after my nightmare.

My eyelids feel heavy now, and he still hasn't come back. Maybe he hasn't even gotten up from his chair...

I'll say sorry to him in the morning. Maybe.

.

Morning comes and goes, but Gunsou doesn't even say a single word. Besides the shadows under his eyes, the only words out of his mouth was the prayer for breakfast and "See you later," when we parted ways between our classrooms. He was just as unresponsive when I tried to talk to him on the bus.

_Damn, Misawa, you just had to go yell at him and put him in a bad mood. _

The feeling for me is far from warm either; I've got to do something about it, right?

After our first class, I open my Messaging and send him a text, knowing I can see when he views it. Thank you, WhatsUpp, for letting senders know whether their recipients have read their messages or not.

[M: D'ya wanna eat lunch together? I promised I'll eat with you today.]

The 'Received' notification show up almost instantly. I count my breaths as it remains, then changes to 'Typing...'

[G: No.]

I open the keyboard and type back my reply at the speed of light.

[M: C'mon. Don't be such a downer.]

I swear his reply comes back slower than honey flowing through penguin intestines, even though the next teacher has yet to show up when I get his reply.

[G: I feel sick today. Sorry.]

I gnash my teeth and nearly bang the table in frustration. Come on, Gunsou, I really want to make it up to you!

[G: See you after school.]

Well, that's an improvement. At this very moment, Mrs Shiratori walks into the class and I have to take my eyes off the text.

I still can't take my mind off the the guilt I'm harbouring for hurting his feelings, though.

.

**...meanwhile, in the adjacent classroom...**

.

"C'mon, Kihara. You look like you could use...a friend." Mikiseki utters softly.

Her voice is soft and gentle enough that the rest of the class doesn't hear. I wipe a tear from my eyes and nod. I mean, it's no surprise that I've been feeling like shit the entire day, but it's something to take note that only Mikiseki has approached me.

The last bell rings and everyone heads to the cleaning cupboard to distribute among themselves brooms, mops, and pails, but Mikiseki and I instead head for the empty classroom on the third floor. I wryly note that this is the same classroom where we had our first, and awkward conversation here. It too, was when Misawa had caught Mikiseki and I together here as well.

Unable to look her directly in the eyes, I instead watch Mikiseki's petite hands and she smooths her skirt and takes a seat on the chair. "Won't you sit down too?" She asks courteously, but I refuse. I don't want to be caught by Misawa again, even if she's probably with Tatesuke at this very moment, Direct Connecting somewhere.

"I _insist_ you sit down," With a surprisingly strong grip, Mikiseki grabs my sleeve and hauls me into the adjacent seat. "We'll be talking for awhile.

Awhile, huh. Well, with no training today and Misawa being...busy, I guess I can spare her some of my time. Time that should be with another girl.

Mikiseki starts off pretty confidently. "So Kihara, I know that you clearly don't look like your normal self, and something is bothering you. And I hope you could share with me what's troubling you."

Indeed, I'm not okay at the moment. I don't need Mikiseki to tell me that.

"Out of curiosity, Gekkagawa, why do you care so much about me?"

I've spoken my mind before I know it, but to my surprise, Mikiseki's face reddens slightly. She tilts her head to the side to think about her answer for the better half of a minute.

"I...observed something when I received the class nominal roll for checking at the beginning of term. Y'know, remember the one we had to fill in with all our contact details together with those of our parents'?"

Oh right. Mikiseki was the stand-in class representative for the first week. She'd know all our details.

"So," She continues, her cheeks ever so slightly redder. "I noticed that you only indicated your mother as your Next-Of-Kin contact. You never listed your father as a contact."

As I look at her eyes while she speaks, she seems to be unable to make eye contact with me. She keeps looking at the other table, her fingers as they twiddle and twist, my foot tapping on the floor between us. If it's really as I've heard from my other classmates during their discussions about girls confessing to guys...Mikiseki's on the edge of giving her own.

I feel guilty knowing that I'll reject it no matter how sincere she is.

"The thing is, Kihara, I...um, you know, I don't have a father either."

Huh?

I sit straight up and pay her my full attention at last. This isn't a confession of liking me? Mikiseki's face is apple-red now, and yet she perseveres in her story.

"Kihara...ugh. Can't I just call you Gunsou?"

"...Just carry on."

"Right then." She sucks in a breath. "Gunsou, have you ever wondered why I'm named _Mikiseki_?"

"Sorry? Could you spell that again?" I think Misawa explained her name to me a long time ago, but I forgot about it since.

"'Mikiseki,' as in _utsukushii kiseki_._" _Mikiseki draws out the kanji characters in her left palm. "A Beautiful Miracle."

"Oh. Uh, okay." I pause. "Right, Mikiseki."

She giggles a little. "You finally said my name, after so long."

I feel my own cheeks burn a little. "Just get to the point already, please."

"Yes, so I was named 'Beautiful Miracle.' Because I really am a miracle of sorts..." Mikiseki absentmindedly twirls one of her twin tails around her finger. "If my father was alive today, he'd be sixty-three years old."

I suck in a breath sharply. The maths is easy, the understanding is not; Mikiseki's father was _fifty-one-years_ old when she was born? Good God, how old was her mother then?

"Artificial reproduction techniques still have a very low probability of success, even though they're safer nowadays," She continues to wind her hair around her finger, not looking at me. "I was told that my father had been trying for a child for seven years. They even thought of...well, never mind." She clears her throat softly, though in the silence between us, it felt like a shout.

"My mother's pregnancy was nine months of nerve-wracking anxiety. Day after day, doctors were telling my parents the chances of me being abnormal and all that. My father prayed at shrines every week for a healthy child."

I've moved close enough to her to see the tears gathering in her eyes.

"And then...I was born." She meets my eyes with a painful smile. "I was a healthy, happy, baby girl, and my parents were over the moon. Or, they should have been."

I can predict exactly what she's going to say next. With a birth of a child, comes childcare, and given her parents' advanced ages...

"They worked hard to support me. Very, very hard. They gave me the best education, the best care, and all the love and affection that they could give me, Gunsou. But...people would always look at them, and congratulate them as _grandparents_."

She doesn't even try to wipe the tears from her eyes now. I know it, I can feel it, she's getting to something painful in her past.

"My father always had high blood pressure. I'm told that that is one of the reasons why...why..."

She sniffs and dabs at her eyes with a small handkerchief. Her crying face is all I can see and all I know.

"One day...just one morning, it should have been normal...Dad just...died! And in front of me!"

She's weeping louder now. At a loss for words, I put a hand on her trembling shoulders.

"I really wish he's still alive, Gunsou, I really do," She sobs. But I had to learn how to live on my own afterwards, because Mum had to go out and work twice as hard to support us..."

Is it just her shaking, or am I shaking as well?

"I'm sorry," she sniffs and dabs her eyes dry. "I shouldn't trouble you with my family history. I mean...well, um..."

"It's okay," I whisper. "I know _exactly_ how that feels, Mikiseki."

"I knew that you would understand too," Her voice drops to the same volume. "Every day, I see you in class with that same downcast face, that furrowed eyebrow...after I saw how unwilling you were to stay on for club activities, I knew that there has to be something troubling you at home. And it has to do with your father, right?"

I close my eyes and nod. Long-forgotten memories come to mind in blurry images: gleaming, polished shoes, a Rubik's Cube, and a small collection of essays. It reminds me - very painfully - that I've not given much thought to my own father in a long, long time.

"He's not dead, Mikiseki."

"Hmm?"

"Well, um, I mean that my father isn't dead. I mean, he's still alive. But...but...he left us when i was a kid."

"Your parents divorced?" She blinks in curiosity, gently prodding more elaboration from me.

"Yeah. When I was...seven years old."

"But you don't hear from him?" She asks.

"Never and ever." I shake my head in response as well.

"I see."

We stay that way for quite awhile, letting our past sink into our minds. It's awfully quiet, but its warm at the same time too.

..._Warm_?

I look down at last, and I realise that Mikiseki has wrapped my hands, clutched in a tight ball on her table, with her own slim hands. I had shifted over to her table, I recall, so I guess I really am absorbed in our chat.

"...Uh...thanks. I guess." Is all I can manage. I look up in time to see Mikiseki smile bittersweetly.

"It's okay, Gunsou," She smiles through what I now recognise as a sea of pain. "I'm happy that we can understand each other much better."

I can't think. I can't move. Mikiseki is so close, and her hands are so warm.

"You know..." She whispers through perfectly proportioned lips. "The more time I spent trying to figure out the thing about you, the more I realised I liked you. All that time in class...I always felt a little bit better knowing you could still feel good enough to turn up for class."

What is this...warmth in my chest? And in my eyes? Everything looks funny now, but all I can see is her eyes.

Hot tears roll down my cheeks; why am I tearing up? If I stay still any longer, I might just break down.

"It's okay to cry, Gunsou." She murmurs. "Everyone will cry at some time in their lives."

Is she inviting me? Or is she just helping me?

"I'm here for you, Gunsou. Let me help you let it go."

Ah. Ahh. So _that's_ what she wants.

It's been a long time since anyone has given me that much thought. Thank you, Mikiseki.

I move into her outstretched arms and let the pressure go like a bursting dam. Tears keep flowing out. My throat feels like a lump has settled there permanently. She's smaller than I am, but her weight is reassuring. I feel arms curl around my back.

I've not cried in a long time, not since my dad left. Damn, it feels good to cry now.

I put my own arms around Mikiseki and hold onto her like a drowning man holding onto a precious lifeline.

**tbc.**

.

Further notes:  
>Wow, I really outdid myself. Not only did I get closer to Brain Burst, I even could coax myself to get around to Mikiseki's history and (le gasp?) pair her with Gunsou!<p>

Muahaha. C'mon, if Misawa spends enough time with Tatesuke that he thinks he can have a go at her, I'm sure Mikiseki has had enough time to think about making her own move on Gunsou as well.

What's gonna happen to our four characters? I'll see how I'm feeling like when I sit down to write the next two parts. (;


	9. Mikiseki's gift, do I really need it?

**A/N:** Sorry, but Mikiseki and Gunsou are going to have a bit more _together_ time before I move on. I promise you, Gunsou gets his Brain Burst in this chapter.

**I don't know a millimetre about self-discovery!**  
><strong>自分探しについてミリ知らない!<strong>

.

Do you know the feeling of being loved and comforted, to be held by someone else as though you're the center of their world? Because I don't. I've never, even been held like this before.

By that, I mean the way Mikiseki just holds on to me in an unforgivingly tight embrace, feeling me up all over. I can't resist it; no, I _don't_ want to resist anymore. I actually feel quite guilty for accepting Mikiseki's affections so unquestionably.

But there's some truth to her words, I admit. I'd never be able to do this with Misawa. It would be completely out of character for her to even...well, have a heart-to-heart talk with me. Probably. I can't imagine her sitting me down and asking me to cry.

And where does that leave me? I guess...I might be spending a lot more time with Mikiseki now, if only for her warm hugs.

To be held by another person feels like the best thing in the world.

"Are you feeling better now, Gunsou?" In a soft voice, Mikiseki slowly runs her hand up and down, sending little shivers running through my back.

"Mhmm. Yeah, I guess so."

"That's how it should be," She chuckles. "You shouldn't be saying such sad things if you were truly at ease."

With immense reluctance (on what seems to be Mikiseki's part as well) we finally break apart. Heavy silence descends upon us, neither knowing what to do next.

At last, Mikiseki digs into her pocket. Withdrawing a familiar roll of cable, she holds out one end expectantly.

"Will you finally listen to what I have to say?" She gives that irresistible smile of hers.

After all that she did for me, who am i to deny her? I slowly reach up and take the connector in my hands.

CLICK.

[That's better.] Mikiseki nonchalantly remarks.

[Uh...okay.]

[Anyway, this shouldn't take too long,] She continues, manipulating some windows at the same time. [I guess, you're curious as to why I'm so interested in you?]

[What, you like me _that_ much?] I blurt without thinking. It earns a blush and flustered reply from Mikiseki:

[Well- what, do you need me to spell it out for you?!]

[Uh, no. Sorry...]

The cute girl huffs a sigh. [It's okay. Here, look at this.]

With a swipe of her fingers, Mikiseki sends me a file transfer request for...what's this program? BB2039?

[Do you want to understand yourself a lot more, Gunsou?] Mikiseki asks me in a tone that can't be anything other than her dead-serious voice. [This program, Brain Burst, is what helped me in understanding myself so much more...and for you, it'll be the same.]

She swallows visibly. [The things you'll find out...once you become aware of them, you can never become unaware ever again. But you'll gain a great power anyway.]

[What 'great power?' Isn't it just a program?]

[That power it gives...is «Acceleration». The power to think and react a thousand times faster.]

I kinda lost her already. [I don't understand...]

[Just install it first,] She urges. [Trust me, you'll get better.]

Implying that I'm not well to begin with, I see. My finger hovers over the 'Accept' button, unable to decide.

Mikiseki reaches out- and gently takes hold of my free hand with both her hands.

[Believe me, Gunsou,] She implores. [I only want the best for you.]

_Uh...okay._

I touch the 'Accept' button...

**The room bursts into flames.**

It sets everything alight: our Neuro Linkers, the cable connecting us, and the neatly-arranged tables and chairs. I nearly cry out in shock, but Mikiseki's calm composure tells me otherwise...

[What's with this...imagery?] I croak.

[It's a reaction speed checker.] Mikiseki calmly explains. [There's a minimum reaction speed that Brain Burst requires before it will install. Otherwise...]

[Otherwise?] I prod her for information.

[Otherwise, I will have wasted my one chance.] She seems almost sad. [Brain Burst is such a precious program, it seems.]

The flames vanish and condense into a thin progress bar at the bottom of my vision. Above them, in an extremely fancy font made of metallic letters with rivets, are the English words 'Brain Burst.'

[Brain...Burst, I see.] I raise an eyebrow. [The heck is it named like that?]

[As if I knew,] Mikiseki merely shrugs and sweeps her hair over her shoulder. [It's not important anyway.]

While the bar slowly fills, Mikiseki just keeps on staring at me, in a very I-think-I-know-whatcha-thinking-about way. I can avoid her gaze, but I can't stop the colour from rising to my cheeks.

[Aww. Miss me already?]

[You think too much.]

I can't see Mikiseki replacing Misawa as the most important girl in my life anyway. I mean...I've taken care of Misawa for years. How is a hug supposed to make up for all that time we spent together?

Not that Mikiseki has to know that, I suppose, but if I already have to keep things from her, that doesn't sound like how a couple works...

The progress bar fills and vanishes, and a similar flashy message takes its place: **WELCOME TO THE ACCELERATED WORLD!**

[Oh, the installation is done? Welcome to Accel World, Kihara Gunsou. I'll take care of you!]

She finishes that statement off with a wink and smile that I find less cute than normal. Almost as if she really means what she just said.

[Err...okay, how do I use this program?]

[You're gonna have to wait until tonight, I'm afraid.] She absentmindedly drums her fingers on the table. [The full thing won't be ready until a custom avatar is prepared for you.]

[What kind of custom avatar needs a full night to edit? Can't I just use some other avatar I have?]

Mikiseki resolutely shakes her head. [Trust me, no editor on earth can create a better avatar than the one you'll get tonight. Anyway, Dive with me for a little bit more, please? We'll tell you as much about Brain Burst as we possibly can.]

[Who's 'we?' Where are we Diving?] All these terms are _really_ coming out of the blue now!

['We,' as in us Burst Linkers.] She adds on mysteriously. [We're just Diving into the school Local Net, really. On three.]

Man...I'm being left out of the loop with Mikiseki as well.

[One...Two...Three.]

On 'three,' Mikiseki places her hand right over mine; I only have enough time to widen my eyes in surprise before we echo the Dive Command together:

[Direct Link.]

The real world fades to black as my senses leave my flesh-and-blood body, but the warmth from Mikiseki's hand lingers on.

Who's the dependent one here, if she's all clingy and huggy?

…

In each of the many private study rooms is a single large tabletop and several chairs, ranging from two to eight in number. Depending on the user's liking, they could be customised to a wide range of appearances. The Forest Theme turned the table into a huge stump of an old tree. Selecting 'Modern City' changes the table into a single sheet of translucent glass unsupported by any visible legs, or if one had stronger artistic tendencies, the table would literally become his canvas and playground. Everything is possible here, because it isn't the real world.

Mitsukihara's teachers had spared no effort in ensuring that their students had the best online resources that money could buy. With the blessing of the local authorities and charities, the school's online resources had been given a boost three years ago to allow students to have their own online space to study and hold group discussions. This, already complementing the healthy offline resources (including and not limited to student welfare, counselling services, and generous alumni groups), helped to propel Mitsukihara Middle School's ranking to among the top schools in Tokyo.

It is among one of these spaces that a group of four students had decided to make their clubroom. Their official name for the club was the Journalism Club, and its mission, the club members had declared, was to write and publish student commentaries on issues all about students.

Unofficially, the four members all carry their own copy of a program few children their age would ever know about. _The_ program, to which they owe their maturity of thought to. A program that they only spread to others by Direct Connection.

«Brain Burst». And the four of these members, together with around a thousand other students in Tokyo who also have a copy of the program, call themselves «Burst Linkers».

.

A student seated at the head of the table types away at a rapid pace. Clad in a kendo practitioner's attire, he looks almost completely out of place in the clean, sleek lines of the study room, set to 'School Days,' except that the girl seated adjacent to him looks even more out of place than he does; her hair is dyed shocking pink, and it goes all the way down to her waist. She, unlike the boy, is reading a manga comic book rather than writing essays as per the namesake of their club. The dress she wears evokes images of a Greek Goddess, which oddly enough, fits her unusual choice of hair colour.

These are Net Avatars: bodies that you use to interact with others in the virtual world. Their appearances can differ enormously in size and style, only limited by the editor of your choice and the boundaries of your imagination. It just so happens that most people opt for an avatar that preserves most of their human aspects.

The door opens and two more students walk in; a girl sporting cyan hair, tied into twin tails that reach the floor, and a boy who unsurprisingly (or surprisingly, depending on whose perspective you take) resembles his real-life self. The boy's eyes shift this way and that, clearly making a great effort to not let them linger too long on the hem of the girl's short skirt.

Standing up from his seat at the table, the _kendoka_ holds back a giggle and instead opts for a disarmingly friendly smile. "Yo, Miki! Glad to see you made it on time!"

Mikiseki smiles and shrugs. "I was...busy." For a fraction of a second, her eyes flick back to where Gunsou stands. The gesture is subtle, but not unnoticed.

The other boy nods in understanding and picks up his wooden practice sword. Engraved on it are five kanji characters bearing his name: 壺井遼太郎

He walks up to Gunsou and bows slightly. "I'm Ryoutarou Tsuboi. Nice to meet you, Gunsou Kihara."

"How did you know...never mind." Gunsou furrows his brow slightly. "Uh, nice to meet you too."

"Hey Miki! You're finally here- oh."

From the back, the pink-haired girl glances up happily from her comic book, only to have her face fall upon laying eyes on Gunsou. "I see you've acquired _another_ suitor, Miki. Five bucks, that he'll give up after-" She pauses mid-scowl to glance up and down Gunsou. "After a month, I say?"

"Nuh-uh."Mikiseki shakes her head. "He's...different. No, really!"

To this, the pink-haired girl puts down her comic and narrows her eyes at Gunsou. He stares back with an even expression, unsure whether to give in or assert himself.

"Hmmph." The girl sighs at last. "You seem pretty confident, but that's how they all start out. Name's Nozomi Shokuhou, and I'm not pleased to meet you."

At this less-than-welcome attitude in contrast to her warm reception to Mikiseki, Gunsou wondered if the two girls have known each other for a long time. "You're not particularly impressive either. Please take care of me."

"Come on, Nozomi, you're gonna scare the new guy. Please," Trying to repair the damage, Ryoutarou gestures hospitably to Gunsou. "Have a seat. I don't see Tatesuke online at the moment, so looks like I'll have to fill you in for the time being."

Tapping the table, Ryoutarou adjusted its size settings, making the table slide unto itself until it was a perfect circle, with six round seats positioned around it. Ryoutarou sat next to Nozomi, and Mikiseki took the spot next to Nozomi such that Gunsou was left with the last two empty seats by his left.

Ryoutarou clapped his hands as though to start this little meeting. "So, Kihara, what burning questions has Mikiseki left you? I take it that she's already told you what Brain Burst can do?"

"Uh-" Gunsou glanced at Mikiseki for a moment. "-Not really. All I know is that it's supposed to help me understand myself."

"That is correct, but not all of it." Ryoutarou surveyed Gunsou with a critical eye. "That's actually the part that comes later..."

Mikiseki suddenly started to blush very hard. While Net Avatars couldn't feel pain nor be hurt for obvious reasons, they could still replicate a huge range of emotions and expressions, and reproduce the facial expressions faithfully as well.

"Anyway, the main perk of Brain Burst is Acceleration," Ryoutarou continued. "I can't exactly demonstrate it here in the Local Net convincingly enough, so I'll just...um, describe it, I guess."

Picking up a stylus from the table, Ryoutarou aimed the tip at Gunsou.

"In normal time, if I threw this stylus at you, you probably wouldn't have much time to react because it's moving so fast, correct?"

"Uh...yeah, I guess." Gunsou answered cautiously. "So?"

"What would you observe instead if you were...thinking faster?"

"I'm sorry? What do you mean, thinking faster?"

"That was the wrong choice of words," Ryoutarou muttered to himself. "Um, alright, put it this way. Y'know those times when you're caught up in the heat of action and all, right? Doesn't time seem to move slower?"

"Time...moving slower..." The realisation began to dawn upon Gunsou. "Oh...you mean, like when you're like, in a sport or something?"

"Um...kinda, I guess." Ryoutarou nodded. "That effect of time feeling slower isn't time actually moving slower, of course, but rather, because your reaction speed is faster."

"Or that special feeling when you're together with your crush," Mikiseki chimes in. "Your heart beats faster, you get all excited thinking about him and time seems to slow down..."

Nozomi shoots Mikiseki with a horrified glare at the use of the word 'him' just as Gunsou nudges her in the side to shut her up.

"Just...er, just carry on." He implores Ryoutarou, who obliges.

"So if you took your reaction speed, and multiplied it by a thousand...what do you think you'd get, Kihara?"

"Uh...y'know what, just tell me straight out, so that if you ever get a chance to demonstrate it live, I'll be prepared for any surprises you have." Gunsou puts up his palms in protest.

"That's quite...alright, fine." Ryoutarou sighs a little. "You're already getting a good deal with this free lesson."

"He's a mook, Ryou. I can see it from his eyes already." Crossing one long leg over the other, Nozomi fixes Gunsou with a stare that almost looks accusing. "Just save your effort and duel him tomorrow."

"That's not how it needs to be...we can teach him, I'm sure. And remember, _you_ agreed to trust in Miki's choice no matter how...how questionable."

Shrinking in his chair, Gunsou glances from person to person while he grasps his own wrists lightly.

"Oh, come on," Mikiseki whines and grabs Gunsou's right hand. "You two are making him nervous, I swear. I know he'll turn out to be a Green, or at least a Blue-Green!"

"What makes you so sure?" Nozomi thrust her chin in challenge. "You wanna bet tomorrow's lunch on his colour will turn out?"

Mikiseki pulls Gunsou's hand closer to her chest. "I raise you ten bucks!"

"Ladies..." Ryoutarou drops his head in his hands. "For the last time, if we get kicked from the room for making too much noise again, I will kick your asses _personally_."

The bickering girls finally stop. Silence falls, only to be interrupted by the chime of a tone.

"Oh good, Tatesuke's here," Ryoutarou mutters. "There's the backup when I need it-"

Gunsou's face darkenes considerably. Then, two familiar voices float in from the outside of the room:

"...cut me some slack, _please_. I've already tried my best to explain to you-"

"The hell was that?! That mumbling, hand-twisting, stuttering speech was an explanation? I knew you were many things, Ichijo, but the way you're going, I bet I can dig up a lot from you and sell it to the Newspaper Club for some easy money-"

In walks in two more students in their Net Avatars: a tall, toned boy wearing a Tin Man costume, and a girl with scarlet, shoulder-length hair-

In that instant, Misawa's gaze falls upon the gathering. And then she catches sight of Mikiseki's dreamy eyes and Gunsou's flushing face; he swears and pulls his hand away from Mikiseki. Too late, too slow.

Grinding her teeth, Misawa straightens her back even more and rewards Gunsou with a murderous stare, her hands curling into fists.

"Anybody care to tell me," She growls. "What in the _world_ is going on here?!"

**tbc.**

.

Further notes:  
>Expect more infodumping in the next chapter too! I don't see how I can make the dry parts easier to stomach...then again, I'm just an inexperienced writer :x<p>

I hope the change from first-person to third is alright. I didn't think it was alright to switch perspective for the sole purpose of worldbuilding, so I just carried on with it.

Oh, and for the sake of completeness, Nozomi's name in kanji is Shokuhō Nozomi: 食蜂 望.


	10. This game is not a game at all!

**A/N:** I'm going to try a new style here. If I feel that there's going to be too much worldbuilding to introduce through the characters, then I'll introduce it at the beginning of each chapter with a suitable source, whether real or fictitious. At least I trust myself to remember exactly from which volume of the light novel I'm recalling the relevant material from…

Welcome, reader. To the tenth chapter of Mirishira Accel World, where the action I've promised Optimura since nine chapters ago finally begins.

**I don't know a millimetre about fighting games!**  
><strong>格闘ゲームについてミリ知らない!<strong>

...

_«Brain Burst» is the fusion of two main applications: the earning of Burst Points,  
>and the expenditure of Burst Points through Acceleration Commands.<br>Acceleration Commands can be given immediately after installation...  
>...probably because they don't require a Duel Avatar to use, unlike the earning BP bit…<em>

_Fortunately, or unfortunately, Burst Linkers can only be challenged after  
>they have had their nightmare and a Duel Avatar generated for them.<br>They don't have a name displayed on the Matching List,  
>but instead they appear at the bottom as 'Undefined,' and cannot be selected as an opponent.<br>They can still spectate fights, though, almost as if it's a window of opportunity  
>the system gives to teach them about Brain Burst, it seems, before we actually get to the game.<em>

-From the notes of Ryoutarou Tsuboi, undated.

...

I'm in deep water.

And it's not the usual warm temperature I run for Misawa's bath, or even the piping hot soup I cook once in awhile. This water is hot, sticky, and every drop is loaded with a great deal of anger. I'm in that kind of deep and boiling hot water.

Nobody breathes or so much as clears their throat. Everyone just glances at each other wondering who's the first brave soul to dare answer Misawa.

And eventually, her angry gaze falls back to me. I know I've got to explain myself, but...well, how do I convince Misawa that Mikiseki isn't my girlfriend, even if I have implicitly consented to her holding my hand?

This is gonna hurt.

"Misawa, I-"

"DON'T," Misawa practically yells her head off, stabbing an accusing finger at me. "Give me excuses! I know exactly why and how _she_ brought you here!"

"Misawa, I didn't expect any of this to happen!"

"Which part did you not expect, huh? It's Brain Burst, right? Was it the time-stopping bit? The usage of the Social Security Camera network? Or did you try some hanky-panky with Gekkagawa in the few seconds you two Direct Connected?!"

Oh great, now Misawa knows the things that Mikiseki knows, and _I_ don't know any of them. "I don't know a millimetre about whatever you're talking about! Mikise- Gekkagawa only just gave me Brain Burst awhile ago!"

Misawa is not deaf to my tripping over Mikiseki's name mid-word. "Oh, look who's all lovey-dovey now! Did you know Gekkagawa had to tiptoe while she was hugging you?!"

"You- Shut it!" Mikiseki and I have gone extremely red in the face by then. "It's difficult to explain, but please, Misawa, I was-" I almost let go a swearword to her face. "-crying to pieces! I needed- I needed- er, someone!"

"So you went ahead and found Gekkagawa." Misawa reduces her eyes to slits and crosses her arms. "You could have texted me, but you instead chose _her_."

"That's not the POINT!" I scream.

"SHUT! UP!"

It wasn't Misawa, it wasn't Mikiseki. Standing up from his seat, with his wooden sword in hand, Ryoutarou was quite clearly at his limits. The sound of his slow, measured breathing fills the dead silence settling in.

"We did not gather here to argue," He says evenly at last. "We're here to confirm that Kitamura and Kihara know the essentials of Brain Burst, as well as test the capabilities of Kitamura's Duel Avatar."

Taking in a breath, he glares at Mikiseki, who in turn lowers her head submissively. I'm beginning to sense that there's much, much more than a simple program at stake here…

"Tatesuke?" Ryoutarou asked.

"She knows." Tatesuke nods, his hands lightly interlocked on the table. "I demonstrated Acceleration to her earlier today, and she went around and…"

It takes the jerk of his head towards my general direction for all the pieces to fall into place. Or at least, some of them. I round on Misawa again:

"So you accuse me of spying, then _you_ spy on me?!"

"C'mon, Gunsou." Misawa huffs and looks away. "You're lucky I was the only one who saw you two. And I had the decency to not interrupt the two of you, let me tell you that!"

"But," I splutter. "Why the hell are you treating me like this! Let _me_ tell you, I do everything in the house!"

"Kihara, enough." Nozomi whispers in a dangerously soft voice. "The clubroom is not the place for you to settle your personal disputes."

I look round at Nozomi, giving me the 'listen-to-me-right-now' expression, and back at Misawa. She's still looking away, arms folded and lips sealed. As if...she's hiding something else.

"I agree. That's enough dawdling already, so." Ryoutarou sits down heavily with a sigh, and operates his holographic console. "We'll go ahead with Kitamura then. Miki, help Gunsou out; get him to follow...hmm. Who wants to try her first?" He looks at Tatesuke, Nozomi, and Mikiseki in turn.

Mikiseki shakes her head, sending ripples down the length of her hair. Tatesuke looks away and puts his palms flat on the table. Only Nozomi uncrosses her legs and sits a little straighter. "I'll do it."

"Splendid." Ryoutarou remarked in an expression that said the complete opposite. "Miki?"

"Just a second." She hastily tugs at my sleeve. "Gunsou, go to your toolbar and look for a new icon. It's the one with the English letter 'B' on it."

I don't feel anything weird about Mikiseki touching me, but by the way Misawa's eyebrow rises, she has issues with us. I mean, Mikiseki.

"Tap it and select the option 'Matching List.' Do it fast, please." Her voice trembles slightly, as though she's wilting under Misawa's gaze. I tap the option and a short list appears before me with a sound effect:

.

**KLEIN APPRENTICE**

**GREEN GUARDIAN**

**LUKA EXTINGUISHER**

**SPRING RENASCENTIA**

**CUL ARTILLERY**

***Undefined***

**.**

"Err...what do I do next?" I look at Mikiseki in confusion, but she's not looking my way.

"Tatesuke, is she...is Kitamura 'Cul Artillery?' She gets a nod in reply from Tatesuke.

"Then," she turns back to me. "Tap on 'Cul Artillery,' and choose 'Follow' on the drop-down menu."

I follow her instructions to my complete an utter bewilderment. Seemingly satisfied, she nods at Ryoutarou.

"_Finally_." He claps his hands together. "It's almost four, but at least we're on track. Nozomi? Your call."

Nozomi curls her lips into a small smirk, fixing Misawa with haughty eyes. "'Cul Artillery,' eh? Let's see whatcha can do."

Before I can utter a word in protest, Nozomi breathes in sharply and forcefully spits out her next words.

"Burst Link!"

The heck did she just-

***BASHINN***

What sounds like a thunderclap sounds right in my ears!

-say?

Everything has frozen in place and has been dyed the same deep shade of blue…

...And then it all fades to black.

…

The first time Tatesuke said he would 'Challenge' me, I gotta admit, I was scared. He told me that it was a fighting game and the only way to finish it once you got duelled was to win. That is to say, beat-the-living-crap-out-of-the-other-guy winning.

And demonstrating that that entails _exactly_ what it sounds like, he had proceeded to punch me. Like, he actually socked a good one into my shoulder, and that _friggin_' hurt! Naturally, that pissed me off real bad. Only Gunsou could make me angrier, and he did just that, not five minutes ago!

Well, I'll whack Gunsou later. For now, time to face the pink-haired girl, the one Tatesuke called 'Nozomi.' Sight, sound, and feeling return to me in my new body, but the feeling of my new avatar is still a little...weird.

The stage loads and I look up and down my Duel Avatar; I feel older in this body now, that's nice! My arms are slender and supple and my legs are long and toned. Reaching behind, I can still feel the ponytail - or at least, the metallic mockup that's the stand-in for my real one - and though the face mask seems solid enough, I still can feel lips and cheeks when I touch my face. Though, this avatar doesn't seem to have much in the chest department...never mind that! I'm taller now!

Oh, but the most interesting parts that nailed it for me? First, my new avatar is red. And I mean _me_ red, Kitamura-Misawa-red! It's exactly the same shade of red like my hair! I was over the moon; I still am!

And I've got a gun. It's just a little handgun, holstered by my hip, but it feels natural in my hands.

"Isn't this your second time in your Duel Avatar, or are you still wondering why you got that particular type, Kitamura?"

From a distance away from me, a lithe pink avatar stands there, hands on her hips and looking down at me. Truly, Nozomi - or rather, Luka Extinguisher, looks as beautiful in this game as she does in the real world. Which unsettles me slightly…

"It's alright," She dismisses my concern with a lazy sweep of her hand. "I spent a good five minutes checking myself out in a mirror too. Did Tatesuke explain it to you too?"

I think back to that demonstration 'fight' we had after class today and shake my head. "Nuh-uh. He was too busy checking me out, so I just shot him. I mean, I tried to."

"I see. Yeah, he kinda gets hung up over you at times." Nozomi nods in understanding. "In that case…"

"I DID try to explain to her, Luka!" Comes the defensive yell from our right. Looking to my side, I see a couple more Duel Avatars: a huge green guy, a blue guy with a wooden _bokken_, a light green girlish avatar with twintails, and finally…

"Eh, Shokuhou?" I raise a virtual eyebrow. "Why doesn't Gunsou have a Duel Avatar of his own?"

"He hasn't had his avatar creation dream yet. Y'know, the nightmare you probably had last night? And by the way, try not to call each other by your real names here; it's just a game, but we all have different avatar names here." Nozomi patiently explains.

"Uh...okay, Ex...Extinguisher." My tongue trips over the English letter 'X'.

"Just call me 'Luka.' It's easier to pronounce in Japanese." Nozomi sweeps her long, pink hair over her shoulder.

She steps up to my side to point at the spectators in turn. "Right then, about Duel Avatars. Blue Guy With A Sword is Klein Apprentice, Big Green Guy is Green Guardian, and my Little Green Darling is Spring Renascentia. They're Ryoutarou, Tatesuke, and Miki respectively, d'you understand?"

I nod in acknowledgement. "So you're Luka Extinguisher, and I'm-" I glance at the two gauges in the upper left corner of my vision. "I'm this...'bleh-unpronouncable-word Artillery?'"

Nozomi's eyebrows come together while she focuses on my name in her screen. "Cull. Cuh-ell. Cah-rul."

I give it my own shot. "Kah-roo?"

"Ooh, close enough." Nozomi lets her voice rise in approval. "_Karu_ it is then."

"What's with those English words? Are they like, last and first names?"

"Correct." Nozomi / Luka nods. "The first word is always a colour word, or a reference to it at least. Klein is a deep, almost pure blue, while Spring is a light green."

"What does 'Luka' and 'Cul' gotta do with colours then?" I hold out my hand limply by way of emphasis. Nozomi just shrugs and gives the universal 'I-don't-know' face. "I would tell you if I knew, Cul."

"Tell me about all the colours again?" I stroll around kicking at stray stones in the neon-lit street. "Tatesuke- I mean, Guardian, did a pretty bad job explaining."

"He's never direct." Luka sighs. "Duel Avatars in Brain Burst are grouped by their methods of attacking: Reds are long-ranged fighters, Blues attack at close range, and Yellows are indirect attackers, aka Range-less. They're a little tricky to understand, but we'll get to that..."

Luka points at Green Guardian at the side. "Guardian is a green colour, a so-called secondary colour. Put aside what you remember from class for now; because he's a mixture of Blue and Yellow, Green is close-range & indirect, and that gives them extraordinarily high defenses as well.

She puts a hand over her considerable chest. "Purple is a mix between Red and Blue; I attack at a range shorter than Reds, but I'm certainly stronger than you when it comes to fist fights."

I can certainly tell that from just looking. She's taller and what looks to be stronger than me. "I see."

"Anyway, I guess that's all you need to know for now." Luka stretched her hands out in front of her, cracking her knuckles. "We've wasted quite a few minutes on making up for Tatesuke. Shall we?"

Just as the timer at the top of my vision ticks down to 1600 (it was 1800 at the start, so a round lasts thirty minutes), Luka flourishes her hands to either side; long, slender cylinders with rounded ends slide into place from nowhere with a distinctive _clang_.

"Go, Luka! Show her what you're made of!" Mikiseki cheers from the side. That _irritating_ girl!

I glance over to Gunsou. He's watching every single action we make with eyes wide open. I can't tell if it's fear or excitement he's feeling, but I don't wanna care about him just yet. Not till I finish.

I lock gazes with Luka. She half-crouches, ready to spring if I so much as twitch.

I oblige; sweeping my hand to my hip, I unholster my pistol and take aim!

...

_This is a fighting game._

I didn't need Mikiseki whispering in my ear, or Ryoutarou patiently pointing out the different aspects. I could see it all for myself: the Duel Avatar names, Health Gauge, Special Attacks Gauge, and Battle Timer were all in plain sight. As was the gun in Misawa's hip holster.

I don't know just how much I can allow myself to enjoy this game, if it's even called a game. A now-familiar feeling of butterflies creeps up into my stomach and sits there.

"So...Mikiseki..."

"'Rena,' if you would please." She corrects me for the _n_th time.

"Rena. They...They're going to have to beat each other up, am I correct?"

"Absolutely. C'mon, this is a freaking _fighting_ game, not Candy Crush Saga!" Mikiseki hops up and down again in that cute yet terrifying way.

"And when they hit each other, there's pain, isn't there?"

This time, it's Tatesuke who puts one massive green hand the size of a dinner plate on my shoulder. "It's unavoidable, Kihara. This game is hyper-realistic."

"That's it, I'm done." With considerable effort, I push away Tatesuke's hand. "I've got no time for this at all. Link Out!"

...Nothing happens. Mikiseki just giggles and grabs my arm again.

"This isn't a typical Virtual Network, Gunsou. You're here to stay with me until the duel is over!"

Well, what a way to burn my time then. I sigh explosively and turn to look at Misawa and Nozomi - Cul Artillery and Luka Extinguisher respectively. They're staring each other down...

_BANG_.

Misawa draws her gun- fires. But Nozomi was expecting it; diving to the side, she executes a barrel roll before dashing towards Misawa!

_BANGBANGBANGBANG-_

She's firing wildly now. Misawa can track where Nozomi is, but she can't seem to put her bullets where her eyes are-

Nozomi closes in on Misawa and punches her out with a sickening _CRUNCH_ of metal on metal. The pistol clatters to the floor-

"Stop," I whisper. "This isn't funny at all!"

Ryoutarou shakes his head gently. "No one said that Brain Burst was a joke."

Misawa, clearly in pain clutches her head and looks for her gun. Nozomi curls her left hand into a fist, and-

_PFFFWOOSH_. A huge cloud of smoke envelopes the two avatars!

"Using her gas at close-range...that's a little cruel, Luka." Tatesuke remarks with absolutely no emotion in his voice.

"'A little?' Only a little?!" I round on the huge green mecha. "That's...that's unfair!"

"No, Gunsou." Mikiseki tugs me back to watch. "It's fair, because Misawa couldn't stop big sis Luka from getting too close!"

Even while she says that in a casual tone, _more_ yells of pain and sounds of punching reach my ears. _Misawa_'s yells of pain. This isn't right at all! That's not how I want it to turn out!

...Is what I would have shouted, but I can't. It's a hard fact even I can't deny.

Silence settles for a moment while the whitish smoke Luka released slowly hangs in the air. After a further two minutes, a feminine outline appears, and I suck in a breath of hope-

The tall outline of Luka extinguisher appears, dragging the body of Misawa behind her.

"She put up a good fight," Nozomi remarks in a matter-of-factly voice. "But once she lost her gun, she was basically mine."

And then she just dumps the red avatar onto the ground. Her head lolls lifelessly.

I don't know what made me do it. One moment, I was standing there, the next...Tatesuke has one massive arm wrapped around my body, holding me back while I scream and fill the air with curses. Swearwords I didn't know I knew.

Ryoutarou shakes his head and mutters something to Nozomi. She nods and aims her cylinder at the lifeless avatar, the lifeless _Misawa_-

_PFFWOOSH_.

A small window appears before my eyes. I barely notice it at all; all I can see is the calm, unperturbed face of Nozomi's avatar.

**CUL ARTILLERY LOSES TO LUKA EXTINGUISHER!**

Then everything goes dark again as the game ends.

...

It's dim.

Some rays of sunlight peek through the curtains, but in the Full Dive Classroom, it doesn't really light up the place. It kinda feels gloomy, but it could just be me. I mean, I just had my ass handed to me by an older (?) girl in the most painful way possible, and it sucks like _hell_.

"How are you feeling, Kitamura?" Besides me, Tatesuke has already exited the game, and looks at me with a genuinely concerned face. I sit straight and stretch my arms above my head, trying to clear the wooziness from my body.

"Kinda sucky, I guess." My voice is unusually quiet. "Shokuhou sure packs a punch..."

"I've never seen anything like that." Tatesuke suddenly murmurs quietly.

"What? Run that by me again?"

"No, not you." Tatesuke shakes his head. "Kihara."

"Why? Something happen after I..." I'm hesistant to use the word _lost_. "I got knocked out?"

"He...uh, I don't think I should tell you..." He gives that shifty look again. I sigh loudly, and tilt my head from side to side to stretch my neck.

"If you're always going to be like this whenever I try 'ta pry information out of you, then I give up." I hop off the reclined chair and grab my bag. "It's worse than squeezing blood out of a friggin' rock-"

"I hope you and Kihara are okay." He blurts abruptly. "All these changes...I wonder if you two are fine."

"And," I pause with a hand on the door. "What do you mean by that?"

Tatesuke turns to look my in the eye for the first time I can remember. It's mildly unsettling, but hey, _at last_ he's serious-

"You and Kihara don't have a normal relationship." He plainly puts it out. "I can tell he's...very, _very_ attached to you."

Well duh. Didn't you get that memo long ago? "So?"

He swallows some saliva and blinks a couple of times. "So...I hope he's taking care of you. And you can take care of him. After the duel...he was pissed."

Now that is some pretty useful blood, to use the analogy. "Alright...noted. Bye then."

I shut the door behind me and leave him behind. Calling up my Messaging, I type a quick text to Gunsou while I walk to the shoe lockers.

[M: You okay? Where are you?]

When I don't get a reply even after _ten_ minutes, and he hasn't even _seen_ the message, I don't wait any longer. I pack up and get the hell out of school.

_Please, don't go and do something stupid, Gunsou._

...

I walk through the darkness alone, and it's a quiet, lonely place. No other soul is here. The sound of my footsteps is muffled, and sounds like...like I'm underwater. Water is nice. It's cooling and calming, and just soothes me.

I sometimes feel the vertigo hit, as though the ocean, or wherever I'm in has turned upside-down; then it settles, and I'm walking wherever I please again. Nobody to bother me, nobody to summon me to do this or that. Just me, myself, and I.

Then I see _him_.

"Dad?" I call in surprise.

He doesn't move. He just stands there, hands in the pockets of his suit, head up and looking at something far away.

"Dad!" I cry out again, running faster. "Dad!"

He walks away. Slowly, then faster and faster. Until I can't catch him despite running at full speed.

"Dad!"

He's gone now. The darkness has enveloped him, and I'm all alone...until I pick up the sounds of sniffing.

_Sniff...sniff..._

Someone's crying. Who?

"...Mummy...Daddy!"

_Misawa_.

She's bawling her eyes out, wearing the little dress she got for her seventh birthday, walking this way and that in aimless circles. That's right, she cried for ages after her parents died.

"Misawa!" I run towards her again. She doesn't start running away, at least. I reach her and hold her close-

_Damn_, she's a child-sized block of ice!

That's when I realise I'm not myself. I'm the small seven-year-old boy again, the kid who doesn't know where his daddy's gone to. My arms are awfully small and frail looking, my fingers are still smooth and weak.

Then _they_ come. Silhouettes of adults, walking this way and that. Blown up to tremendous proportions until their shoes are as long as I am tall. They walk quickly, purposefully, meaningfully.

_Don't cry, Gunsou, don't you dare cry now!_

I bite down on my lip and yell that as loudly as I can in my mind. But Misawa keeps crying, the adults keep walking. Nobody paying any attention to us.

_We'll get through this. I'll get us through this._

"I'll be strong. Endure this, Gunsou." I mutter under my breath.

Turning my head, I look for my dad. Anywhere, everywhere. He's nowhere to be seen.

"Stand up and continue, Gunsou," I mutter to myself with gritted teeth. "Endure all this hardship you're getting!"

**[»IS THAT THE WISH YOU WANT TO MAKE?«]**

It certainly is.

**tbc.**

**.**

Further notes:  
>Totally not sorry for huge chapter here. : But even with that, there's still so much I tried to do...I just hope it doesn't get too confusing by explaining the fighting game before the power of Acceleration...I'll have to wrap that up by MAW 11 then.

I'm going to carry on with the worldbuilding portion for a bit, but unlike this chapter which was relevant at first, then dragged on to other places, I'll try to keep it relevant to the chapter, rather than simply putting out there as an excuse to save on character development. I think I find it interesting how Mikiseki keeps pushing it as a facilitation tool, but Tatesuke and Ryoutarou just see it as a necessary game to play, so the worldbuilding will have to be split evenly between them, I guess. Then there's also the issue of Nozomi's stance; who's side is she on? I know I haven't nailed it down just yet, even though I already introduced her last chapter.

Til MAW11, then! Optimura-senpai, I'm still waiting for you to give a review at _least_ once T_T I know you read MAW, c'mon!


	11. Duel Avatars are really pretty, right?

**A/N: **This is an unforgivably long chapter, I must say. All I wanted to do was reveal Gunsou's avatar and abilities, but I've now really gone further than I thought. Blame my lack of ability to plan.

Nevertheless, I hope it's enjoyable!

...

_"Why does a Duel Avatar turn out the way it does so, and only after one has gone to sleep, Nozomi?"_

_"You say that as though I understand Brain Burst."_

_"But you're the veteran here, Nozomi!"_

_"Very well..." [Nozomi huffs a sigh.] "Miki, dya' know how you dream at night, the things that you care about most become the stuff in your dreams? That's what Brain Burst used to make your Duel Avatar: the deepest, most sincere desire becomes your main focus, as well as a whole lot of little things."_

_"I'm not sure I understand..."_

_"Well, that's all I really know!"_

_-excerpt from a conversation between Nozomi and Mikiseki a day after Mikiseki received her copy of Brain Burst._

_..._

**I don't know a millimetre about Duel Avatars!**

デュエル・アバターについてミリ知らない!

...

The fried eggs sizzle in the pan, but I don't have the hands needed to go flip it over. I'm busy adding the final touch to the spaghetti sauce, and if my luck is to hold, the spaghetti - currently being boiled in a pot next to the eggs - will be nice and firm, just the way I like it. Beads of sweat are gathering beneath my brow, but I don't dare to use my sleeve to wipe them off - I might get it dirty, and as it is, I'm not going to have enough energy to wash my uniform tonight.

I found Gunsou at home, thankfully, sprawled all over the sofa and out like a baby. Like, his shoes were literally strewn in the entrance hall! From my Whatsupp logs, he _did_ receive my messages, proving that he had been making his way home alone, but wasn't in a good enough mood to even reply. When he's in that kind of mood, or gone to sleep like that, I think it's best to not disturb him. I wouldn't want to be disturbed if I was pissed too!

Then again...I have my own issues to take out on him. For one, I'd like to really know just what on earth is happening between him and that Mikiseki girl! Why did she give him Brain Burst? What else did she do when they were Dire ct Connected?! And most of all, would he ever have to think about choosing between me and her-

The fried eggs, swimming in oil, chooses this moment to sizzle angrily, as though protesting at its negligence. Clucking my tongue, I put down the fork I was using to stir the sauce and head over to the eggs, now well on their way to overcooked territory until I flip them over.

I know I don't usually make dinner, and on days when Gunsou is in a good mood, I can never hope to match him when it comes to cooking with fresh food. Heck, I didn't even know what he was planning for tonight; the refrigerator was full of vegetables and stuff he bought earlier this week and I have no clue as to which one he was going to use first. So the spaghetti was from an old (but still before its best-by date) packet in the dry food cupboard and the sauce was basically premixed sauce with a little extra ingredients and heating. Fried eggs are the only thing I know how to make decently, so I went ahead and made those too.

I grab a pair of cooking chopsticks - longer versions of the eating type, and made from wood rather than stainless steel - and hold up a bunch of spaghetti for inspection. Steam billows off the strands and with a pinch of my fingers, the noodles are soft and easily deformed; I think I can carry on. In bunches, I douse the spaghetti into a pot of cold water until they're all cool, and then I strain them and deposit equal amounts into two plates and leave aside a third portion for Mrs Kihara...

Darn! I made too much again! Shouldn't this packet serve three, or am I mistaken?

Just when I'm left with a colander of extra spaghetti in my hands, wondering what to do next, the doorbell rings.

*DING DONG~*

A small window appears in my vision, courtesy of the house's security system. I glance at the girl at our door and a curse rolls off my tongue:

"...What the hell are _you_ doing here?!"

...

_A few hours ago, just after Gunsou woke up from his first experience with Brain Burst..._

...

Oh my god.

I know I've always been fortunate in my life, at least until Dad died. Among one of my remaining fortunes is the fact that I've never seen someone angry. Irritated, yes. Stressed, yes. Tears-welling-up-in-their-eyes, fingernails-digging-into-their-skin pain, yes, that too.

And today is the first time I've ever seen someone well and truly angry.

Gunsou is angry at me. Our faces, having had our gazes meet with emotion and affection not too long ago, have now changed completely. He stares down at me, trying to stab me with his eyes; I look back at him, with 'please, please, don't take it out on me' written on every inch of my face.

"This game...you called it a 'game,'" He growls, "This game is not a game at all."

"Um...uh..." I stutter and trip over myself, "Well, I just guess Kitamura still hasn't learn how to fight-"

*SNAP*

With a sweep of a shaking hand, he literally cuts me off before I can get another word out between our minds. He used enough force to break the connector on his hand, leaving a broken tail of cable dangling from his Neuro Linker, resembling a dangling limb in likeness. "I...I never said I wanted to play such a game," he growls, "I thought you said that I'd understand myself better, but Tsuboi told me otherwise, that the main point of Brain Burst is 'Acceleration.' And now I see Avatars beating up one another, with realistic feelings of pain?"

The look he sends me tells it all; his feelings of betrayal and utter confusion, and above all, the look of someone who just found out they were lied to. But it's not his fault after all, he's too new to understand!

"I've never lied, Gunsou," I reach out for his hands again, to try and regain control, "The self-reflections, the Acceleration, and the duels, they're all part and parcel of understanding yourself. It'll come to you in the long run, okay?"

But he flicks my hands away, standing from his seat. "No...No, I've had enough! I am not going to waste my time on a silly game!"

And he storms off, leaving the classroom as quiet as it was before. The warmth of our hug earlier is quickly replaced with cold regret and anxiety in the pit of my stomach.

_Give him time to understand,_ a voice urges from the back of my head. _Weren't you just as confused the first time you received Brain Burst?_

"Yeah... Yeah, I was confused too." I murmur quietly to myself. Rising from the chair, I grasp the handles of my bag and slowly leave the classroom.

_...What if I visited his house?_

I freeze mid-step as the outrageous thought strikes me. Should I even be thinking about such an outrageous step?!

Mom's going to be waiting for you if you don't come home. She'll be worried. You'll make her worried. The voice exhorts me to do the right thing: slip my feet into my shoes and walk straight home.

..._And remember, _you_ agreed to trust in Miki's choice no matter how...how questionable._

From a corner of my thoughts, Ryoutarou's voice chimes in. That's right...Ryoutarou, or even Nozomi could have given Gunsou a copy of Brain Burst. They could have just as easily become his «Parent», but Ryoutarou trusted me do accomplish this task. Even if it's difficult to imagine Nozomi Direct Connecting with Gunsou...

A small smile flits over my lips at the thought, quickly vanishing as I finally come down to the choice I have to make. I'm already at the school gates; Gunsou takes the path on the right, but to go home I take the path on the left.

_...It's obvious, isn't it? Do I value my «Child» more, or my mother? It isn't even about taking care of the Child who knows zilch about Brain Burst...it's about fulfilling my obligations to Ryoutarou as a member of his group! Argh!_

With a sigh of dejection, I let my feet carry me to the right path. Pulling up Gunsou's address and contact details (copied from the class nominal roll before I was forced to delete it), I search for the quickest way to his house with distinctively sluggish movements.

_Sorry Mom,_ I think to myself, _It's not just because I like this boy...I've got things to settle with him!_

Deep down in my heart, I wonder which one is the excuse.

...

A hand on my shoulder shakes me awake, out from the water-filled stupor I had sank into, out of the peace of my state of sleep. It leaves a lingering warmth on my shoulder as it leaves, and I understand that I have to get up.

I take my time to open my eyes, feeling every ounce of exhaustion weigh down heavily on me. When I become aware that I'm still in my uniform, the smell of dried sweat getting to me, I resign myself to the demands that a dirty uniform entails, and sit up from the sofa-

Woah. The room feels like it's been spinning for hours. I must've been out for a long time, I guess. I blink once, twice, and finally recover enough to stand.

The kitchen light is still on, and the sound of soft murmuring reaches my ears. I glance at the clock in the corner of my vision - 9.13 PM - and frown. I'm pretty sure Mom doesn't come back this early...

And then I round the kitchen doorway, squinting as my eyes adjust to the light, and I see _them_; seated on opposite sides of the table, Misawa with a cup of tea in hand and Mikiseki nibbling at a stick of ice-cream. The girls seemed to have been in a conversation until I came.

"Uh..." I trail off, not knowing who to greet first, "Hi, Misawa. Hi, Mikise- Um, Gekkagawa."

Misawa's eyelid twitches, but that's her only reaction, Mikiseki, on the other hand, beams several day's worth of sunshine back at me with her smile.

"Hi Gunsou! Glad to see you're awake!"

Misawa chose this moment to cough very loudly, covering her mouth with her teacup. "Alright, Gekkagawa, he's awake. Just say what you came to say, then-" She catches herself mid-word, "-leave."

Mikiseki gives that little knowing giggle of hers in acknowledgement. "But of course! Thanks for the delicious meal!"

Woah, Misawa actually cooked for Mikiseki? Weren't they on bad terms? As though reading my thoughts, Misawa's cheeks redden; she stands up and leaves the kitchen, muttering something about 'privacy' and 'making up.'

I turn back to Mikiseki in confusion, and- _oh no_, she's giving that faux happy smile again, just like in the classroom. I don't know what she and Misawa agreed on, but she better not dare approach me again like that...

"Are you feeling better, Gunsou?" For the second time today, she asks me that question, as though expecting me to feel better in her presence. I just nod politely to not hurt her feelings. "Yeah, I'm fine," I answer.

"That's good, I'm really glad!"

Awkward silence descends; I don't know how to react to that, and Mikiseki apparently has said all she has to say. From the living room, the _clink_ of ceramic on the glass table can be heard; Misawa's trying to listen in as well.

"That's right...umm, Gunsou," Mikiseki's face suddenly lights up, "Did you have a bad dream just now? Like, _just_ before you woke up?"

Huh? It takes me a good minute to think back; did I even dream? I remember barely making my way back home, kicking off my shoes, and crashing into the water- I mean, darkness...

"Uh...yeah. Maybe," I hesitantly answer, "I guess I kinda had a bad dream."

"Perfect!" Mikiseki rubs her hands together in glee, "**Looks like you're finally ready to appear!** Burst Link!"

Uh oh. That's the same thing that Nozomi said earlier, and when she said that-

***BASHIINN***

-When Nozomi last said that, she had hammered Misawa to death!

...

I was watching them all along. There's a small mirror on the refrigerator, so even from my seat on the sofa, I could see Gunsou's face and the impressive range of emotions he went through when Mikiseki had her 'chat' with him. Well, at least she didn't go and hug him again, or I would have run in there and have a go at them! With a baseball bat!

I hadn't even intended to serve her dinner. Or even open the door, in fact! But when she basically 'fessed up over the intercom that Gunsou had friggin' _snapped_ her Cable, among other things, even I want to hear the scoop! So I let her in, drew some very clear indications that this is the only time I'm letting her in, and then it was playing Nice Host, Bad Host. She accepted the cold spaghetti with a straight face, at least, but at times the tension was so bad, I swear the air coulda've turned to ice between us.

Tatesuke did teach me that the Brain Burst menu could even be used without speaking the Acceleration Command 'Burst Link,' and in one of those moments, I use the time to check out Gunsou's name on the matching list; I watched it as it stayed as 'Undefined,' and slowly, around 9-ish PM, it turned to a two-word name: **TURQUOISE DURO**.

Tatesuke did a bad job explaining the significance of the colour word, so all I know at this moment is that 'turquoise' is some colour between blue and green. But he did say that the second word is meant to reflect the fighting styles of our Duel Avatars. I was sorely disappointed that despite being named 'Artillery,' all I had was a lil' pistol. But it was satisfying to shoot his head anyway!

So this word...'duro.' It evaded translation for awhile until I manually searched for it; I guess Brain Burst doesn't offer in-app translation. Apparently, it's a Spanish word, meaning '_callous, cruel, hard, and stale_,' which made no sense at all!

So I dug deeper, and found that there was in fact, a _Latin_ word 'duro.' Its meaning was '_to harden, to last, to endure_.'

Now _that_ was interesting, and I immediately added him to my Followed list before going to shake him awake. I did so knowing that Mikiseki, a seasoned player of Brain Burst, had definitely come to check on his Duel Avatar. But I'll still give that girl points for actually coming to our house and letting me know she's here. Even if it's for an excuse.

Now, Mikiseki quite plainly challenged Gunsou on the spot. Since I'm Following his Duel Avatar, whenever he gets challenged, I Accelerate as well; my mind speeds up a thousand times, making time seem to come to a stop. The teacup in my hand will stay there until Acceleration ends after thirty minutes in-game; 1.8 seconds in real life, and then I will regain consciousness soon enough to stop it from dropping.

Acceleration. It's this part that I don't know enough about to understand what it is, but I know what I can do: If I Accelerate myself, I assume my Net Avatar and can walk around freely in this 'frozen' world, and that was what allowed me to observe Gunsou getting hugged by Mikiseki. That girl sure had guts...Well, at least now I can make sure she doesn't try anything funny in Brain Burst as well!

The sensation of my new Duel Avatar comes to me , the proud red avatar with a gun by her hip. I thrust my chest out and look around; the stage loaded is 'Demonic City,' so all three of us have spawned on the rooftop. Nearby is Mikiseki's Avatar, a light-green feminine avatar with no apparent weapons nor special features. And the third Avatar is...

Blue.

No, it's green. Nope, it's not quite that either...I squint my eyes, but the colour is deceptive, leaning in the middle of the boundary between blue and green. It's...it's actually quite _pretty_.

I look up, and that's when I realise how huge he is; Gunsou's Duel Avatar, this 'Turquoise Duro,' is two heads taller than me! Not only that, but his arms and legs are thickly armoured, and his head, gosh, his_ head_- it's nothing like a human head, having the likeness and marine feeling of a...a sea creature, I think?

Stepping back, I take in the entire sight of his Duel Avatar, and only one word comes to mind: **badass**. There's nothing flashy about it; no weapons, no sharp edges, nothing that even looks offensive, and yet this aura emitted from his is _overpowering_. Like, 'I'm going to go get what I want and there's nothing that will stand in my way,' power.

And then he opens his eyes, little eye slits placed close together, and speaks. It's a low metallic voice, sounding exactly like him and at the same time, _nothing_ like him.

"I don't want to play this game, Gekkagawa!"

A little shiver runs up my spine. If I ever have to go up against Gunsou like this, with just a pistol...I hate to admit it, but I am pretty much _screwed_!

"...Wow," Mikiseki - Spring Renascentia - whispers in awe, "A perfect blue-green colour...just as I thought, Gunsou!"

The marine-like head tilts to the side in puzzlement. "What do you mean, 'just as you thought?' Did you predict that I'd turn out like...like this?" He holds up his massive hands.

"Yup!" Renascentia nods unflinchingly. "I thought your wish might turn out like that!"

Gunsou looks at me and our gazes meet, then we both turn to look at Mikiseki in complete and utter confusion. Her response is to hold up three fingers.

"Red, Yellow, and Blue," She listed, "These are the Primary Colours in Brain Burst's system, and a Duel Avatar for each of those colours make different wishes to get their different colours."

"Blue is the colour of strength, the wish for power. Blue colours felt weak at some point in their lives, and when they get Brain Burst, they wish for something to overcome a problem they're facing. They're direct and head-on, never-say-die. They get close-range abilities."

Mikiseki gestured with her next finger. "Yellow is the colour of denial, the attitude of ignorance. They don't want to even acknowledge that they've got a problem, and when confronted with it they will distract themselves from it. They're the opposite of Blues, indirect and always beating about the bush, in a sense. The abilities they get are a mixed bag, but they can work at any range or even on other specific avatars anywhere else."

Finally, Mikiseki waves a hand at me - the red avatar called Cul Artillery.

"Red is the colour of defiance, or as I like to call it, an M&M! They appear strong on the outside, but they're actually soft and weak on the inside. Because of that, they get the long-range abilities, representing their wish to reach out to someone, or something far away, but don't believe they have the guts to go through with it. Nothing specific about you, of course," She added hastily, "But I don't think I can help you if you take offense at what I said..."

I really want to slap the living lights out of this girl right now! No guts? Soft and weak? I'm not any of those things at all!

"It's nothing to do with me, but your wish!" Mikiseki quickly explains more, "It's gotta do with your wish, which you wanted something or someone back very badly, but just don't believe that you can have them back!"

My mouth opens and closes in silent rage. I just- I just can't accept a word that this girl is saying!

"What if you're wrong?" I finally put some words into my mouth. "How can I be sure you're correct?!"

To which, Mikiseki smirks and replies, "You can't. Not now, at least. You'll have to trust me, really." And then she turns her attention back to Gunsou.

"So, do you understand the reason why you got this Avatar? You're a little mix of Yellow and Blue, so...um, I guess you really, really, really wanted to solve some problem with your father, but decided to put it aside and distract yourself? And I wonder what's the meaning of the word 'Duro'..."

Wait, she knows about his father leaving?! He actually told her that?!

Gunsou stays eeriely quiet for a long while, absorbed in his own thoughts. While I pace the confines of the apartment roof impatiently, watching the timer tick downwards, Mikiseki just stands there patiently. Like...like some girl waiting for her lover! Oh, that soppy-eyed look, it makes me want to puke! Don't look at Gunsou like that!

"I understand," Gunsou finally speaks up at last, "I think I finally understand what you're getting at here, Rena."

Gunsou - Turquoise Duro - raises one massive hand to his face, deep in reflection. I can't help but feel a little...cowered by that sight. Does Mikiseki really have a point here?

"But I don't get something," he continues, "What's the value in playing Brain Burst then?"

"Burst Points," Mikiseki answers immediately, "All players fight each other for Burst Points. You win at least ten points when you win a battle, and you lose at least ten points when you lose a battle too."

"And, get to the point," his eye slits narrow ever so slightly, "But what's so special about Burst Points that you have to fight in this silly game that you're trying to get Misawa and I to play so desperately?"

I like how Mikiseki seems to shrink under his gaze at that. Thumbs up for the Intimidating Giant Likeness, Turquoise Duro!

"We'll- We'll get to it, I promise!" she squeaks. "But in the meantime, could you...could you please check your Movelist?"

"My movelist?"

"Click on your name in the upper left corner of your vision," Mikiseki claws back some confidence, "And read out the entry below your name. Your Duel Avatar's name, Turquoise Duro."

"Uh…" Gunsou's tone clouds over in confusion. "'Normal Moves: Reserve Armour, Power Enhancer, and Special Move: Hypothenar Smash?' What's all these?"

"These are all _abilities_ that your Avatar can use by default," Mikiseki uses the English word. "That is to say...look at that small gauge under your Health Gauge, your Special Gauge. You fill it by dealing or taking damage, and you can use it to execute some of your moves."

"Y'know what's a Normal Move and a Special Move, Gunsou?" I suddenly get an idea. He answers with a simple shake of his head.

I unholster my pistol with glee. "THIS," I take aim, "Is a Normal Move."

"-Cul!" Mikiseki squeaks in horror.

_BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG-_

I squeeze the trigger mercilessly, causing Mikiseki to yelp in surprise and pain as the bullets strike her anywhere I can hit; her head, her arms, and her hands while she vainly tries to protect herself! Sadly, as a spectator, I can't actually damage her. Gunsou twitches one massive hand, but he doesn't react any other way.

"My Special Move currently is being able to fire twenty rounds in four seconds, and it needs me to accumulate about half my Special Gauge first," I explain with satisfaction. "Unfortunately, I can't show you now, because I'm just spectating your fight. I'm not allowed to actually hurt either of you, I can't even get any closer than ten metres!"

Demonstrating my point, I try with all my might to walk towards Turquoise Duro. There's nothing between us but empty air, and yet there's an invisible barrier I soon hit that stops me from getting any closer. His eyes widen in realisation and he nods in understanding.

"...I see."

For the next ten minutes, he experiments with his new Avatar and the workings of the game: trying his hand at destroying the Stage, attempting his Special Move on an unfortunate pillar, and feeling the resulting pain in the process. Sure, he's far, _far_ stronger than either of us girls and can destroy the environment faster, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel anything when he punches the walls or stomps on the ground. Tatesuke wasn't kidding when he said that this game was hyper-realistic.

Much to my annoyance, Mikiseki goes up to him after than to lay _her_ hands on him, literally! Her Special Move heals another Duel Avatar she's in physical contact with; I'm told by Tatesuke that it's a big deal in a fighting game, but I don't give a rat's fart. I'm very sure she didn't need to touch his _chest_, nor did she have to lean _that_ close for her Special to activate! Just as well, he seemed a little uncomfortable, but it could just be me being here that's keeping him back. What would they do if I wasn't here, hug the crap outta each other again? I'll stay here to make sure it doesn't happen again!

"I'm a very rare type of Duel Avatar, Duro," she simpers, "If we ever fight together in a tag team battle, please take care of me."

She backsteps a little and does this little bow and curtsy. If I could serve Mikiseki my dinner from last night, I would most certainly try again right now, but- whoa, what?

Duro turns his head away. His arms come up to grasp each other, and he leans back a little. I have no idea what to make of this!

"I...I can't, Gekkagawa," he softly whispers, "I just can't take up that promise."

"Why...Why not? Why can't you?" Mikiseki sounds nearly as shocked as I am feeling. "It's not like I'm asking you to save me or anything!"

"Because this is just a game," he says in a hollow voice. "There's nothing I can gain from playing with you."

Uncrossing his arms, he scrolls through his player menu and sends her something; judging from the sudden lock of shock on her face, it must be a Draw Request. With the mutual consent of both fighters, the duel will finish without anybody losing nor gaining Burst Points.

"I don't want to do anything with you about Brain Burst anymore," he states, "I'm not going to waste my time. It's limited and precious, because there's other things, and other people to spend it with."

Can you hear that? That's the sound of my heart jumping over the moon for joy!

"So-"

"No," Mikiseki cuts him off. "No."

She balls her little green hands into fists; they're shaking ever so slightly.

"That's where you're wrong. You've got all the time in the world, Gunsou."

**TURQUOISE DURO AND SPRING RENASCENTIA AGREE TO A DRAW!**

…

_That's where you're wrong. You've got all the time in the world, Gunsou._

Mikiseki's last words echo in my head, long after she left our house in a hurry, trying hard to cover up the fact that she was crying. With a heavy heart, I ate my own dinner (Misawa warmed it up for me first in the oven, thankfully) and proceeded to attack the dishes. Misawa could survive on her own cooking, but she probably couldn't wash the dishes to save her life. I've never understood the contradiction when she says she doesn't want her hands to wrinkle, and yet takes hot, long baths at least twice weekly.

"Quite the vague statement, indeed…" I mutter to myself.

"Something botherin' you?"

Turning around, I see Misawa leaning against the kitchen doorframe, taking a sip of juice from a tetra pack. Her eyes, heavy with fatigue, are nonetheless open and expecting an answer from me.

"I guess...I think," I shrug, "I still have no idea what Mikiseki is talking about anyway."

Misawa gives a non-committal roll of her eyes. "I think I know more about Brain Burst than you right now, but I've also got no idea how to explain it."

The expression on her face is anything but playful, so I'll take her word as that.

"But still…" she gestures at me with her drink packet in hand, "Your Duel Avatar, Turquoise Duro. It looks really good on you. I mean, I like the feeling it gives me!"

"Cul Artillery looks pretty good too," I reply, "It's very...very…"

"Very _what_?"

"Very...clean," I scramble for a suitable adjective. "It's very sleek and cool-looking too!"

Just wait until she sees herself in a mirror or something, because Cul Artillery, I think, is truly beautiful in its own way. The gentle figure of the avatar itself, flowing hair and eye lenses exactly the same shade as Misawa's hair, and that sharp, proud thrust of her jaw, perfectly reflecting her own attitudes.

But her Duel Avatar isn't the only one that was made with meticulous care. Sure, Misawa's Avatar is a little girly in appearance, but if Mikiseki is anything to go by...are _all_ the female players going to look as feminine, sweet, and charming as Spring Renascentia? It seems that whatever magic that Mikiseki's Net Avatar works on boys is the same as her _Duel_ Avatar. In the lingo of gamers, they'd probably say 'Dat Contradiction.' Or more directly, 'Dat Ass.' I won't deny it, the Duel Avatar is naked for whatever unknown reasons, and Renascentia's...uh, _curves_ are plain to see for each and every man.

...Just thinking about her Avatar is enough to make my cheeks flush in embarrassment! Fortunately, she's been walking over to the freezer to look for a stick of ice-cream, so she didn't see my face.

How am I supposed to rationalise this embarrassment I'm feeling? Do I really have those kinds of feelings for Mikiseki? Should I also be feeling the same for Misawa too?

Does that mean…?

"Hey, here."

Misawa hold out a chocolate cone to me. A quick glance at the still-open freezer shows that it's one of two remaining. I'm going to have to buy more this weekend.

"Thanks." I reach out to accept the dessert-

I was _not_ expecting Misawa to grasp my wrist and pull me forward! Holding both cones in one hand, she awkwardly pulls me into a one-armed hug. Her body is unexpectedly warm.

"I'm not giving you to her," she whispers cryptically, "You're mine, Gunsou."

How am I supposed to interpret this? Is it a sign from Misawa that she treasures me? Or just another sign of affection that girls show to guys they like? How far should I go along with that?

...Fine, I'll go along; I hold Misawa in a hug of my own.

"You're my family too, Misawa. I won't forget that."

She stiffens, relaxes at my words and touch, and finally pulls away with a grateful smile.

We spend the rest of the night finishing our homework and the chocolate cones, but I go to bed with an even heavier burden on my mind.

How do I really feel about Misawa? Is her feelings still the same as before?

And Mikiseki. What am I supposed to do, now that I don't want her Brain Burst?

I wish someone has all the answers, really.

**tbc**.

...

Further notes:  
><span>I have a feeling that the end of this chapter was badly handled, because if even after writing three different endings that don't satisfy me, then the fourth is unlikely to. But I really don't want to have to cram in Duels _and_ Acceleration in the same chapter! I mean, look at the word count! It's over nine thousand- er, uh, five thousand! This is the longest chapter yet that I've ever written!

I guess it's good in some senses, because it means that I'm more comfortable with longer chapters that deal with both characterisation and worldbuilding. I'm glad Mikiseki got at least one part here, even if it leant a little more towards the despair end of the scale.

I am going to be busy with a capital B the whole of next week. With a major exercise comes major logistics issues, and we have a whole lotta targets to hit...what a packed life I sure have!

Till the next chapter!


	12. Versus Apple Panzer

**A/N**: Slightly shorter than my recent Chapters, but I'm really quite squeezed for time recently. Guilty as charged! I give my thanks to Optimura for pushing me to adopt a more in-your-face style in this chapter!

* * *

><p><em>To challenge another Burst Linker in the general vicinity of your location:<br>_

_Step 1: Accelerate by the voice command 'Burst Link.'_

_Step 2: Open the Matching List._

_Step 3: Select yourself and an opponent of your choice._

_Step 4: Press 'Duel.' It's the only drop-down option anyway._

_Step 5: Get ready to rumble..._

-A text message Tatesuke wrote and sent to Misawa, teaching her how to Challenge other Burst Linkers.

...

**I don't know a millimetre about fighting!  
>戦うについてミリ知らない!<strong>

...

_...I'm confused._

It's not about what breakfast to make, which classes we have today, or even what to make for dinner tonight. The calendar Misawa created shows all of our day's activities in the convenient corner of our desktop, so all of the above is really just a non-issue. What's bothering me is Misawa and Mikiseki.

While Misawa and I ride on the bus to school, I roll my mind over last night's events; Misawa versus Nozomi, culminating in her loss. Me, abandoning all restraint and uncharacteristically lashing out, and at Mikiseki at that. I broke her Direct Connection cable as a result. And yet...she still showed up at our house yesterday, entered me in a Duel, and let me have a taste of Brain Burst of sorts. Including her touching me uninvited... But right after that, Misawa had held on to me, declaring her intent to 'not give me to anyone.'

Do I really have two girls fighting over me? Am I really that special? Come on. I think it's hard enough to have to plan meals a month ahead. At least I can negotiate with Mum over the amount of allowance she should give me to buy all the food and things. These two... I don't see how I can control them at all, even if I wanted to!

But at the very least, I just want my friggin' peace. I don't need Mikiseki bothering me with Brain Burst, or Misawa giving me the evil eye everytime Mikiseki attempts to continue her touchy-feely thing. Honestly, it's a pain.

The bus stops at a traffic light, and I huff a sigh, more out of stress than anything. Misawa, bobbing her head to the beat of music that she's listening to, taps me on the arm; "You alright?"

"Wha? Ye-Yeah, I'm fine."

Misawa just blinks and answers with a sceptical look, but nothing more. Turning back to the window, I lean my head against the glass, and out of boredom I check out the motorcycle next to the bus-

***BASHII***

Oh gosh. Here we go again!

**HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!**

The same phrase from last night appears, when Mikiseki had challenged me in the kitchen. The flaming, stylised English letters hover before me while my view of the street fades to black, and...

...is replaced with a swamp?!

It stinks to high heaven, and I'm glad that I'm not in the middle of it! Assuming my new Avatar - Turquoise Duro - I materialise on a small patch of soft earth, in the shadow of a huge, gnarling tree. The message disappears from my sight, and I look at the Health Gauges at the top of my screen- filling with gurgling sounds, my Avatar's name appears on the left, and to the right is...

"...Apple...Panzer?"

Once again, I'm slightly unnerved by my own voice; it sounds so deep and so metallic, it just doesn't sound like me.

"Watch out, Gunso- sorry, Duro!"

The moment I hear my name being called by Misawa, I whirl around and catch sight of her cherry-red avatar hastily withdrawing a foot from a small patch of swamp. "It stings if you touch the swampy bits!"

So...I shouldn't step into the swamp. "Thanks."

"Hey thar, newbie! You a new kid on 'da block?"

A hugely exaggerated accent in a young kid's voice. Turning around, I almost can't make him out until he moves an arm-

Wow. He's...huge. He's literally as round as an apple and green-coloured to boot. And his armour seems shiny, but not in the way that you'd call a knight in shining armour. This just looks...different.

With a slight _thump_ as he steps forward, Panzer takes a step closer to me. He and I are practically the same height, which compared to Renascentia and Artillery yesterday, gives off a distinct aura that I'm facing somebody with the intent to kill.

Goosebumps work their way up my spine and I tremble a little. I hope he didn't notice that.

"Whatcha' standing there for? Your Parent ain't taught you nuthin' about fightin'?"

_Parent?_ "Ex...Excuse me, what do you mean, «Parent»? I've not been taught anything like that…"

"Hah," Panzer wheezes, "Hah hah hah! You don't know nuthin'! You're a newbie Level One!" He actually doubles over and I gnash my teeth. The hell is with this game?!

"Today's the day then," Panzer slams his knuckles together, "Looks like I can _finally_ score an ea~sy kill!"

A leer appears on his face like that of a starving lion, and he lunges right for me!

"Oof!"

From nowhere, a foot connects with my sides and kicks all the wind out of me, knocking me to the ground in one blow. I land in a sticky swamp- OW! It really stings! My Health Gauge immediately starts dropping at a slow rate, but it could have been freefalling for all it felt like!

"Whew, that actually took some strength!" Panzer exclaims, "You're heavier than you look, do ya…"

I don't know why, but at the couldn't-care-less tone of that, my blood starts to heat to a boil. So this is how it feels like to be knocked down. This is how the poor guys in my class feel like to bite the dust when the bullies get them, is it-?!

_CLANG._

Not satisfied with me on the ground, Panzer drives a foot into my gut with his full strength, making me curl up in pain. "Stay down there if you know what's good for ya'self then. I don't need no more losses today!"

Each kick from Panzer brings down my Health Gauge bit by bit. It seems I really can't escape the reality of this game anymore!

Is this how Misawa felt too, when she was being hammered by Nozomi yesterday? Did she feel such despair in her heart too, when she couldn't save herself?

Feebly attempting to slap away Panzer's foot, I swat at him- only for his kick to change direction and make its introduction to my chin! It snaps my head back and pushes me deeper into the swamp.

_This is a fighting game,_ the thought echoes in my empty brain, _he knows this better than I do. He knows what he wants, but I...I'm just lost._

"If you want points...just take them!" I put my hands up in surrender, "I never wanted to play this game!"

Something about what I said stops Panzer dead in his tracks. "Are you serious? You just gonna throw the match like that?"

I don't know what he means by _throw the match_, but I can make an inference. "Yes, throw the match, kick the bucket, whatever!" I let my hands drop back into the sticky, smelly swamp. "I'm so uninstalling this game later."

And then Panzer grabs me and hauls my deadweight hulk out of the swamp, and bring his face within an inch of mine-

"No," he practically spits in my face, "No, you don't do no such thing! Brain Burst, «Acceleration», all the friends you can have in «Accelerated World», you'll be missing out on so much!"

And as though to underscore his point, he lifts me with all the ease of a wrestler carrying a sack of potatoes- and hurls me against a tree.

"You! Stand up and fight, man! Wantin' mah Points is one thing, but I can't enjoy this if you just treat yourself like a human punching bag! C'mon! Bring your hands up! Defend yourself!"

-_Defend myself._ Do I really feel like doing that anymore? Is it even worth the trouble? What if I just Link Out, and let Apple Panzer go find some other guy to pick on? I've got enough things to do already as it is...

"DURO!"

From high above, a very familiar voice screams.

"FIGHT HIM!"

Among the sickly green forest canopy, I finally spot her. Shaking her little red fist in the air, she's hanging from a tree branch with just on hand to observe me. But it's clearly the thing farthest from her mind now.

-_You want me to fight,_ I think numbly. _You want me to play along._

"..Fine then." I raise my hands slowly-

Panzer's right fist connects with my jaw!

I'm damn near knocked out by that punch; when I open my eyes, I'm in the swamp again, seeing stars in my vision. A warning tone discharges and my Health Gauge turns yellow. It's less than 50% now, while Panzer's is still full. The swamp is biting me again, but now my mind is clear:

_I've got to beat this guy. I've got to beat this guy._

Twisting, I see Panzer advancing, bringing his foot up, preparing to stomp. More out of instinct than anything, I throw my arm up to shield myself and call out the first thing that comes to mind-

"-'Reserve Armour-!'"

_CLANG._

Without realising it, I had closed my eyes; slowly easing them open, I soon realised I wasn't any deeper in the swamp than I already was- **and my entire arm had turned silver.**

No, that's not right. My whole arm is now covered in highly polished armour plates, covering the original blue-green armour with additional protection. The design of each plate, though angular and thick in places, gives off an aura of assurance. And despite the weight that this much armour should add on to my arm...it feels oddly light.

As though this is armour I'm always supposed to have.

_Oohs_ and _Ahhs_ echo throughout the Gallery Members high above our heads, and Panzer, though taken aback, nods in sportsmanship. "Finally found the fighting spirit, have ya...?"

"I don't know if this is it, really..." Flexing my wrist and fingers, I watch as the additional armour moves in perfect synchronisation to my movements, exposing only the tiniest of weak spots.

"Well, c'mon! Show me what'cha got!" Panzer steps back and gestures in a come-hither motion. I heave myself out of the swamp and my Health Gauge ceases its slow descent. The two of us lock eyes for a moment, waiting for the other to blink-

Panzer charges, and just as before, he feints with a punch and instead brings up his leg to kick! This time, I block his kick with my armoured right hand- and the satisfying CRUNCH the results soon after tells me that he's injured his foot!

"What the hell is with that armour!" Panzer angrily hops on one foot, "It's like kicking a brick wall!"

While he rants angrily in a more natural voice, it's the fact that he's hopping around on one foot that's got my full attention. Without any trace of my earlier hesistation, I charge forward, thrusting my fist forwards-

"ARGH!"

It's suddenly very satisfying to knock him back like that! Adrenaline enters my veins and urges me to keep going on; Panzer's Health Gauge still shines three-quarters full, beckoning me to empty it.

Rising from the swamp, Panzer spits out something that probably used to be a plant. "Son of a..."

WHAM.

The armour on my hand deals massive damage with every hit, so I keep on using my right to attack. Knocking him back into the swamp, Panzer blindly counters; I effortlessly dodge the hit and hit him - WHAM - and again - WHAM - and again!

"NO!"

With sudden force, Panzer's fist clocks me right in the jaw, pushing me back. With his Health deep in the red zone, his eyes blaze with pure fury as he clambers his way out of the swamp.

"I'll kill you," he seethes, "I'll rip the living daylights from you, I swear-"

I bury my left fist in his neck, cutting off the rest of his tirade with a gurgle and his choking reflex.

"Finish him!" "Do it, newbie!"

Catcalls and jeers rain from the watching Spectators. Should I heed them? Panzer, a pitiful heap on the ground, clutches at his throat, trying to speak what he can't voice. I think I must've hit his throat too hard or something, so I just seize him by his chest armour and haul him into a sitting position - and decapitate him with a single kick. Caught up in the heat of the moment, I don't even stop to think about it.

**YOU WIN!**

No, I didn't win. I just did what Misawa told me to do.

...

The match finishes at this point. Gunsou's Points rise from 99 to 119; Panzer's Burst Points drops to a dangerous 20.

The entire Spectator Gallery had watched the rest of the fight in an excited buzz. All around were busy players checking out Gunsou's Avatar, some huddling in furtive discussion, or simply leaving the duel early.

"God..." A pink female avatar covers her mouth with her hands, "That's terrible! That's Panzer's seventh straight loss!"

"Not just that," A purple player growls. "This new guy, Turquoise Duro...he's taking this way too hard on himself. That bit at the end, that was just Duro straight out venting his anger, he was bullying Panzer right there!"

"Didn't that red avatar egg him on?"

And now someone just has to mention me. Great. "Wel-Well, that wasn't fair, I mean! Panzer just wanted Burst Points from Duro, right? Look at how he was being beaten up earlier! What's the difference?"

"C'mon. It's just a game, girl," the purple Avatar spits on the tree. "You win some, you lose some. You'd go crazy trying to win every fight."

"Hey, Red Girl. Are you his Parent or something? You seemed _real _concerned about him..." the yellow Avatar frowns for a moment, "...Cul Artillery."

I can feel every eye upon me, waiting for my answer. "N-No. But I'm close to Duro. _Very_ close."

"Must be childhood friends then," Yellow Guy nods. "Talk some sense into him, will 'ya? He'll spoil all the fun if he fights like that, right?"

As every Spectator nods in agreement, all I can do is smile nervously. "Uh...okay! Yeah, sure!"

Acceleration cancels out just after I close the Results screen, returning me to the real world.

...

I feel really bad now. After that sudden burst of...whatever, I now feel completely drained, and it has nothing to do with getting up in the early morning.

"Cheer up, man. You did good, hehe!" Misawa chuckles nervously.

Look at her. She's scared of me now. Is this what I really want to achieve in the end?

"I'm sorry," I mumble, more to myself than to her, "I shouldn't have scared you like that."

"No, no, it's okay!" Misawa frantically tries to defuse the tension. "You fought really well, and in fact, much better than I did for my first fight!"

"...Fine then."

I know Misawa feels kind of bad, but I don't blame her, I blame myself. For venting my anger so unreservedly, not encouraging her like she just did to me, I blame nobody but myself. A dead silence settles comfortably between us...

...and I sit bolt upright. Something's not right here!

"Misawa," trying to keep my voice even, I ask her softly, "How long did my Duel with Apple Panzer last?"

"Eh? Um...let's see," Misawa calls up her calculator app. "1800, minus 1082, 718, divided by sixty..."

She looks up at me with a concerned expression. "About twelve minutes. Why do you ask?"

I work the time backwards; it doesn't add up at all! "We should be reaching our last stop soon, but," I gesture at the shopping mall that we've just passed, "This stop is just five stops from where we got on! We shouldn't be only halfway through our bus journey!"

"Keep your voice down," Misawa urges, "Everything's fine!"

"What? How?"

"Because whenever you Duel, you have to «Accelerate»," Misawa explains, "Your mind speeds up by a thousand times, so in your perception, everything else slows down to a thousandth of its normal speed."

There's no other explanation that can explain it. I don't quite believe it, but...

"Are you...serious?" I whisper, "Is this...what Brain Burst is really about?"

Misawa looks me dead in the eyes. "Yes."

Mikiseki's words come back to haunt me: _You've got all the time in the world, Gunsou._

Holy mother of...gosh. So that's what she means!

**tbc.**

**...**

Further notes:  
>At long last, I'm ready to devote one chapter to an uninterrupted explanation about the one thing that keeps Burst Linkers fighting the way they do. It's really a pity that the series deviated from that after Volume 2 (and look at how its gone to, at Volume 16. It's now really all about the high-speed battles of shounen...).<p>

I'm glad that I got this battle scene out, at least, and made some corrections to Chapter 11 too. My thanks goes to HybridsRose for her honest reviews and comments! (:


	13. I have a sinking feeling

**A/N**: Sorry for the delay! I spent last week writing _The Tag Team_ and I took Friday evening to write a MAW side story...which can't really be released yet, I'm afraid. I haven't finished writing it and the events for which it covers have yet to appear. But they will soon!

As I'm going along, I've decided; to hell with the canon cast! They're owned by Kawahara Reki, they have all the screentime he can give them to show how powerful they and their grandmothers are, and then in the end they'll still get beaten because the main character is the Main effing Character. So main cast OUT, OCs IN! And maybe it's time to show Kawahara that you do not always need fan contests to come up with interesting avatars...just a good dose of imagination with a focus on the plot! *cough* anti-harem supporter *cough*

Well I've rambled enough; time for a brief reminder to myself to keep MAW focused on the real-world/game-playing divide, and of course, open up the rest of the cast. Today a new character whom I introduced in Chapter 9 takes center stage, and I finally get a chance to experiment with something I've always wanted to try!

Welcome, reader, to the thirteenth chapter of Mirishira Accel World. Thanks for reading!

* * *

><p><em>The Social Security Camera Network works because the government put one camera every 10 or so metres apart in every nook and cranny possible, and put them all together to create a national security system. Every square centimetre of space is mapped by those black hemispheres.<em>

_Somehow, Brain Burst is able to use that network to create that blue world...the «Initial Acceleration Space» which we interact with our Net Avatars, and afterwards challenge others on the Matching List. If the Camera Network is government-owned, and it's a crime to hack it at that...the implication that Brain Burst is an illegal program is very worrying indeed._

-From the notes of Ryoutarou Tsuboi, undated.

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know a millimetre about Acceleration!<br>加速****についてミリ知らない!**

...

"Watch this glass of water carefully," Mikiseki instructs, "The moment I throw it into the air, say the command 'Burst Link.' You can try this too, Kitamura!" She winks at me as she adds that on as an afterthought.

"And what will happen? Will I automatically challenge some poor sod in the area?" Gunsou skeptically throws Mikiseki a glance. She merely smiles and shakes her head.

"Nothing is going to happen, I promise. Just do as I say."

There's just five minutes before class starts, but I have no intention of letting Gunsou and Mikiseki have any more time unsupervised than they can. It isn't that I don't trust Gunsou; I just don't think Mikiseki has the self-control to keep her hands off him whenever I'm not around.

The three of us are outside the water cooler near our classrooms. Initially, that sly girl had asked to Direct Connect to Gunsou for the purposes of this demonstration - but I had insisted on a wireless ad-hoc connection between our Neuro Linkers, much to Mikiseki's dismay. It's not like she could contest it, because as I've found out with Tatesuke, Accelerating even with a wireless connection will still achieve the same effect of us being able to talk to each other in our usual Net Avatars. Poor Gunsou could only look on helplessly while the tension grew more apparent between us.

'I'm not giving you to her,' I had declared last night. As long as Mikiseki thinks she still can get Gunsou to fall for her, I'm never going to let my guard down at all!

"One...Two...Three..." Mikiseki swirls the water around as she counts down, before tossing it into the air, "Burst Link!"

"Bur- Burst Link." Gunsou trips over the English word for a fraction of a second. I myself quietly murmur the command myself, and with a ***BASHIIN*** thunderclap-like sound effect, everything: Gunsou, Mikiseki, the cup and the entire hallway turns blue and freezes. My Net Avatar, basically myself with my regular hair colour and a casual outfit with jeans, high-cut boots, and a conservative white blouse, loads and appears next to my real body.

"Woah!"

Gunsou has every right to be shocked, but I have to fight to stifle my laughter; his eyes are so large, they look like they're gonna pop out any second! His gaze is solidly arrested by the water droplets frozen in mid-air- or so it appears to be.

"You are now in a state of «Acceleration», Gunsou," Mikiseki begins her explanation rather smoothly, as though rehearsed. "Your mind has been sped up by Brain Burst by a thousand times, resulting in everything else seemingly coming to a halt, but that isn't really the case. Look closely at the water droplets, and you'll see them moving very slowly!"

Indeed, there were miniscule ripples moving over their surfaces, and they were rising up about as fast as grass grew, but they were moving.

"How is this happening?" Gunsou demanded, "Through what?"

Mikiseki lays one hand clad in a black glove over her heart. "It's your heart rate that's the key to Acceleration. Think about it: the heartbeat controls the speed at which the brain thinks, and for that to happen, every time the heart beats, it sends an electrical signal to your brain. It's like the quantum processor in a personal computer."

She then raises her hand to the back of her neck. "The Neuro Linker interacts with our brains through the spinal cord at the base of our skull, where the aforementioned electrical signals pass through. If the Neuro Linker intercepts those signals, and overwrites it with its own, then..."

"-then...the mind speeds up," Gunsou comes to the same realisation. "And so will our perception and reaction speeds." He lifts his hand, attempting to touch one of the water droplets; his finger merely passes through the droplet with no resistance whatsoever. It's just a virtual image recreated by the Social Security Camera in the corridor. "But...why?"

"Acceleration grants a lot of advantages, as you can see," ignoring him, Mikiseki gestures down the length of the blue-tinted hallway, with about a dozen students frozen in the midst of their rushing to class, "As long as there's a Social Security Camera in the area, you can walk through this whole space absolutely uninterrupted. You never need to worry about who's lurking around the corner again."

-Indeed. This was how I spied on Gunsou and Mikiseki the other day when I was Accelerating with Tatesuke: the door had a tiny gap because it couldn't close properly, and so I was able to peep through and see them in their intimate embrace. It was a good thing that I couldn't open the door in the real world right there and then, or I would have knocked that door right down and slapped Gunsou with all my might!

"Also, you can launch other applications while Accelerated. Among other things...you never have to worry about not studying for exams!" Mikiseki beams cheekily, "That's why I could spend so much time gathering information about other people in the school-"

"What's the catch?" Gunsou cuts her mid-sentence, "For such an...an amazing power, isn't there some kind of cost?"

"Burst Points. Every time you execute 'Burst Link,' a Burst Point is deducted. 'Physical Burst' costs five Points, and when you're Level 4, you can use a new command which will cost ten."

"And you gain Burst Points from fighting other people," blinking slowly in understanding, Gunsou puts two and two together, "So that's how it is..."

"There's no choice, Gunsou," Mikiseki's voice trembles ever so slightly, "When you run out of Points, the game uninstalls and you can't get it back ever again. You can't pay for more Points, and you can only get it from more players of Brian Burst. And to get more players...you give the program to new people. Like you and Kitamura." Stepping closer, she reaches out for him with her hands, but before that-

Gunsou takes a step back, holding up a palm in defense. "So is this whole game just about Points? Really? After you told me about 'understanding myself better' and all...this is what I'm supposed to do?"

"They will become the one and same goal in the long run, Gunsou," Mikiseki states evenly, "Even for a stubborn person like Kitamura...she'll learn more about herself than she knew she had."

"Excuse me?" I exclaim in genuine surprise, "Can't you use some simpler words or somethin'?"

"Em... Um, you'll see," Mikiseki colours and mumbles a cryptic reply, "It really depends on...on a lot of things."

Awkward silence descended. "Um...shall we continue later then?" Mikiseki offers. "We can try having a tag team match afterwards..."

I look to Gunsou; his eyes are still fixed on some spot between the two of us, trying to digest everything that Mikiseki's teaching him. Huffing a sigh, he nods in resignation.

"What's the command to stop Acceleration, then?"

"It's 'Burst Out.'" With that, Mikiseki's avatar quickly fades from view, leaving only the two of us in the blue-tinted hallway.

"See you later during lunch, then?"

"Yeah," Gunsou nods and gives me a small, genuine smile, "I've not been able to eat lunch with you a lot lately..."

Is he referring to about me and Tatesuke? "Uh...anyway, see you later then. Burst Out!"

***SPLASH***

The heck?! Oh- Oh, right. The water.

It didn't hit any of us, but Gunsou still had quite the rude awakening when he regained his normal senses! Under normal circumstances, it would have been funny, but with Mikiseki giggling lightly already, I didn't feel like joining her. Gunsou merely shrugged and turned his back on us.

...

Since we're in different classes, the norm is for Ryoutarou to send me a text to meet elsewhere, or arrange a meeting in our club's Full Dive area where we can talk privately. If my darling Miki needs to be told as well, he'd tell me too.

This time, he came over from his classroom, from the other end of the corridor, to find me personally. That's a first, and not a good one at that.

"Nozomi. We've got a problem, y'know?"

"Is this a new one, or one that I've yet to be aware of?" feigning ignorance for as long as I dare, I casually stretched in my chair.

"Will you look at me when I'm talking!" he gnashes his teeth in frustation, "This has to do with the new girl!"

"Sorry, Ryou," I drawl and wink casually. "I just can't take you seriously when you're not using your Net Avatar!"

"This has nothing to do with how short I am in real life!"

"Ahh, but you brought it up first!" I wag a finger at him, fully aware that I'm not any taller than he is either. "Self-conscious, are you?"

I laugh it off just before he explodes in anger, but he quickly calms down anyway. "Well, what happened?"

"'Cul Artillery,'" he throws the name out, "Is what happened."

"Uh, explain?"

"Well, I thought that 'artillery' had something to do with 'jewelry' since they rhyme in English. I told you that yesterday too because I didn't give much thought to it until I heard some of the boys in my class talking about guns..."

Ryoutarou's brow twitches while I suck in a breath. "But 'artillery' actually refers to something else. It used to be 'gun,' or 'cannon,' but nowadays, especially in that game, whatcha-call-it, World Of Tanks?"

Then he delivers the punchline:_ "_Artillery' refers to _taihou_; powerful, long-range, indirect firepower._"_

Understanding finally dawns on me. "So... So that means..." I hold up three fingers, not bothering to hide my smile of glee. "Tatesuke's unbreakable shield, Miki's healing, and Kitamura's long-range firepower. It's our Dream Team, man! What's with the long face?"

Ryoutarou's expression couldn't be any further from mine. "Oh no, no, Nozomi. This isn't a good thing at all..."

"What are you talking about? Haven't you always wanted to try to find a long-range type?"

"Yeah, but..." he bites down on his tongue, as though steeling his nerves, "It's an understatement to say we've got a problem."

"I'm not in the know here," I shrug and hold up my hands, "What kind of problem do we got?"

"«Death Star Galaxy»."

All Ryoutarou needs is to whisper those three words for the full implications to hit. I actually stagger slightly at the revelation.

"Have...they? Is it true?" I squeeze out weakly, "Are they coming?"

"No doubt about that," Ryoutarou confirms gravely, "The seven-man group known throughout Accel World for their vicious player-hunting... They're coming for Spring Renascentia's power."

...

There are Burst Linkers that play the game for pure fun, and those who play it for the sake of earning Burst Points to use to whatever ends they wish.

Then there are those who do not care about either of those, because they play for one pleasure alone: killing. The joy when they empty Health Gauge after Gauge, inflicting pain unto others, and venting their anger onto innocent players.

Such groups are nicknamed PK Groups, shorthand for 'Player Knockers.' The more notorious groups have a more sinister interpretation of their name: Player Killers. Usually working in small groups numbering not more than 10, it's almost impossible to believe that they're merely kids in real life, when one hears of their names. Such opinions quickly reverse when their 'kill count' is revealed: the number of players whose Points were completely robbed, and Brain Burst uninstalled from them, banishing them from Accel World forever.

«Death Star Galaxy» is one of the latter groups. Led by a little-known Burst Linker, Guardsman Railgun, the group made its name for themselves by methodically dismembering their victims in tag team battles. Usually targeting random players, they only sought to completely uninstall specific Burst Linkers whose powers they judged to be too much a threat to their group.

On the other hand, their leader is also fond of acquiring rare Enhanced Armaments - various equipment and weapons with no two Armaments alike in Accel World - but if he could get the player themself, all the more he would make it his number one priority to bring that player into their group, by any means possible.

Their next target is a certain light-green avatar whose power had made waves in Accel World a month ago. A power that shouldn't even be allowed in a fighting game, but somehow it exists.

That player is Accel World's only healing avatar: Spring Renascentia. Or better known by the nickname her unusual powers had earned her: _Yomigaererusha_ - «The Resurrector».

...

They're after Miki. They're coming for Miki. They want my darling Miki's power.

The horrible bombshell of a revelation Ryoutarou had dropped on me before first period continued to eat at me all the way until lunch. I was noticeably quieter, and some of my more caring classmates had even come to ask me if I was well.

I'm not the one that needs to worry. It's Miki who needs to know she's in danger.

Oh, I know. You're probably wondering why I adore her so much. The reason is pretty messed up actually, and I'd rather not talk about it if you will.

But it looks like I got no choice, if I want to explain why I'm protective of her. Here goes...

I had a sister. Yes, note the past tense. Had. She fell into a coma after the same fire that destroyed our house and all my hair, forcing me to get a transplant - and even though I protested it to no end, they took it from _her_. I heard it was pretty inexpensive with the new nanobot technology, but the loss of my sister's hair - at its peak, it was long and beautiful and the object of desire for many a girl - was something I felt should never have happened while she still lives.

And then Miki transferred schools. Travelling all the way from Hokkaido, having to unlearn their dialect and pick up the Tokyo accent, she still managed to look unbelievably cute while she did so!

Above all, that girl is the spitting image of Hanako Shokuhou, whose picture I still keep in a real antique pewter photo frame by my bedside table. Her hairstyle is a little different, but I don't give a rat's fart.

So now do you understand? If you do, good. If you don't, then scroll back up and read again, brainless git. Don't make me get started on those retarded lambs who thought it was a good idea to smoke at the rubbish chute. Because...!

...Calm down, Nozomi. Not everyone caused your sister to die. Not everyone caused your sister to die.

Alright, where was I? Right. Mikiseki's in danger. Yeah, that.

The next day after I gave her Brain Burst and became her «Parent», she and I fought in a tag team battle. And then she showed her healing skill for the first time ever...

I can still remember the collective gasp from the spectators, it was like, some lecherous giant sucking up a booger through his nose. Yucks. That's why, as long as I'm alive in Accel World, I'll protect my «Child» and best friend.

Hearing that Death Star Galaxy is after her does change things a bit though! Which is why I took the stairs one floor down to Miki's classroom, not to look for her, but for someone else who might be able to help me.

Oh, come on. It can't be that hard to think of the guy. Didn't you hear about the way he offed Apple Panzer's head? Given that Panzer's one of the toughest tanks I've ever heard of, and his head was taken off like _that_, hell, it's just stupid to not ask Turquoise Duro for a little assistance.

I do worry about Miki getting too close to Gunsou for comfort, but if she benefits and she's happy, I'm fine with it! I don't care even if she decides to start going out with him and get married and whatever!

...Okay, I take the last one back. I _don't_ really think Gunsou deserves Miki. She deserves better, and from the rumours I've heard, Gunsou and Misawa have been living together ever since elementary. I myself saw my confirmation yesterday after I KO-ed Cul Artillery. So...uh, best to not split them up, I guess.

I reach the classroom door of 1-B and raise my hand to knock, but then it swings open before I can rap my knuckles on it-

Black, neatly cut hair. Dull black eyes that seemed to have lost a spark they once held long ago. Furrowed eyebrows that make you think he's always got something on his mind.

This is the guy my darling Miki likes? Seriously? He looks so... old!

But she likes him. She's texted me more than once that she admitted to a crush on this guy.

Guess I can't judge a book by its cover then...

...

"We need to talk."

Just as I head out from the classroom, a girl just a little taller than I am blocks my way, fixing me with hawk-like eyes. The class behind me quietens at the mere sight of her; I take it that this can't be good. The blue necktie she's wearing indicates that she's a second-year; I wear a green tie like all first-years do.

"Uh...I'm sorry, but do I know you...?"

"Kihara Gunsou. You fought with Apple Panzer this morning and won, am I correct?"

Oh. _Oh_. This girl is the tall pink one, the girl who beat up Misawa yesterday. No wonder her voice is so familiar!

I straighten my back, pushing out my chest slightly; much to my satisfaction, I realise Nozomi really only looks taller because I was slouching. "Yeah, and what's it to you? I didn't know installing Brain Burst automatically makes me a member of your group."

Nozomi's eyes flick away for the shortest of instants and she frowns slightly. "I'm...aware of that."

She closes her eyelids for a second, but this close, I can tell she's rolling her eyes. her lower back is tense and her knuckles crack repeatedly; clearly, she's swallowing a great deal of pride to come down to my level to talk to me.

"I need a favour from you in any case," Nozomi grits her teeth and grudgingly confirms my suspicions. "Protect... Protect Mikiseki for me. Please."

_Huh?_

"We'll talk this over lunch later," flicking her eyes over my classmates behind, her gaze comes to rest at a point behind me; there's no need for me to turn to confirm who it is. "I'll ask Kitamura to come as well."

And then she turns on her heel and leaves. The faint smell of women's shampoo lingers in the air behind, and as she walks down the corridor she easily arrests the attention of boys and girls alike. My own eyes, however, sink to the floor.

What the heck have I gotten into?

**tbc**.

...

Further notes:  
>Now, don't confuse this for a new arc. Of course this isn't a new arc. I just need some henchmen, or better yet, a couple of Jokers to be the villains.<p>

What do I mean, the Joker? The Joker is one of the most three-dimensional villains in Batman I've ever read about. He has a backstory. A reason for how he became he is. From tormented henpecked husband to cold, logical killer with a touch of insanity, Heath Ledger's Joker is a character who commands my respect.

Guardsman Railgun is an OC from Optimura's army and I have absolute confidence I don't have to actually ask his permission to use him. After all, the sincerest form of flattery is imitation, right bro? (; #GulfBeastvsTurquoiseDuro


	14. Versus Cul Artillery

**A/N:** Move along, plot, move along! After shipping one couple in side stories and forshadowing, I think it's time to split them up. If you're touched, then wow, I really hope I've impressed you!

* * *

><p>"Not everything that you can do will appear in your Skills List at first, Miki. It might sound funny, but I couldn't shoot flame from the start, you know? All I could do was put out fires."<p>

"Eh? Then, how did you get that skill? Did you receive it as a bonus when you Levelled Up?"

"No, actually. It's pretty stupid actually... All I had to do was pull another trigger. But in the past, when I pulled that trigger, nothing happened."

"That's really weird, Nozomi...are you sure that's what happened?"

"I'm positive."

_-A discussion between Nozomi and Mikiseki, upon the latter's question about getting more abilities._

* * *

><p>...<p>

**I don't know a millimetre about protecting others!**  
><strong>他人守るについてミリ知らない!<strong>

...

Nozomi, it seems, is not one to waste time at all. Sitting me and Mikiseki down at lunch, she had laid out the problem herself and Mikiseki were facing in no uncertain terms.

-The vicious Player Killer group, Death Star Galaxy was in the area hunting for Spring Renascentia.

-Spring Renascentia's healing powers made her one of the most valuable avatars in Accel World.

-I, as a strong 'tank,' essentially a better human shield, was the only person Nozomi could trust better than Tatesuke to protect Mikiseki in a battle.

"Green Guardian is strong, but not invincible," Nozomi had elaborated, "His shield may be unbreakable, as far as we've seen, but his body is not. Galaxy's leader, Guardsman Railgun, killed him in their most recent match by firing a grazing shot just past his body; over 50% damage was dealt and that was enough for him to lose the match when the timer ran out."

And now I faced a choice. Join Mikiseki and her group, and protect her, or leave and be left alone to fend for ourselves, knowing next to nothing about Accel World. "If you're going to stay, you may as well stay with us, Gunsou!" Mikiseki had lightheartedly offered, albeit with a slight strain apparent in her voice.

I apparently had until the end of today to give an answer, which is why I now found myself sitting blankly at the grandstand besides our school track, pondering my next move.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Someone approaches me from behind. Two hands come to rest on my shoulders, soft and gentle to the feeling. This can't be Misawa, she's not the type to give massages, and even if she did, she'd probably do so at home. And as far as I know, there's only one girl that I know of who seems to enjoy touching me at any opportunity possible...

"Gekkagawa. Uh... Please take your hands away."

"Eh heh!"

A chuckle I've grown to recognise as Mikiseki's issues. Her identity uncovered, she steps down and takes a seat right next to me; more out of nervousness than anything, I shift more to my left to keep a comfortable distance.

"Hey, what's with this sudden shyness? Have you forgotten that not too long ago, I had held you as you were crying?"

"I just..." I search for the nicest way possible to tell her to back off, "I just don't think we're that close yet, y'know? We're just classmates."

"Ah, but you are also a Burst Linker now," she holds up a finger, "I can understand you better than anyone who isn't one, and that makes us more than classmates! That's why Duel Avatars make it easier to understand people; one look at it, and I can make an educated guess into your wish, your fears, and your _de-si-res_." Dragging the last word, Mikiseki coyly winks at me, to which I remain silent.

I can't seem to refute that. She knows the game stuff better than I do anyway...

"What's with our Duel Avatars then, since you say that it makes me easier to understand?"

"Your Duel Avatar is the personification of your deepest wish made into a tangible body." she instantly replies.

"Uh...what?"

"Fine then, let's put it into simple terms," Mikiseki sighs and turns to face me better, "Every Duel Avatar has something particularly remarkable about them, something that really makes them special, just like how their names are all different. Your colour and mine are both shades of green, but you're very much different from me, as you could tell."

"When you went to sleep after I first gave you Brain Burst, your subconscious is more awake now, because your conscious mind is asleep, right? That means that you're much more likely to think of nothing else but your deepest, purest thoughts and wishes in that moment of sleep. That's how dreams come about, right?" Mikiseki raises her eyebrow, seeking my confirmation. I just reply with a nod.

"So that's all there is to it. Brain Burst stimulates you with some stress, or rather, it taps into particular memories, traumatic memories, that you experienced in the past. When sufficient stress has been applied, you stop resisting it and instead wish to cope with the stress somehow; that 'somehow' is what makes your Duel Avatar's main ability. Other small little wishes make up the rest of your avatar."

"What's your wish then, Gekkagawa?" I enquire, "Why is your avatar the way it is?"

Half of my mind was actually on how beautiful it looked like, but Mikiseki falls silent.

"Uh, sorry for asking!" I hold up my hands to try and defuse the tension, "I just wanted to understand what you're saying..."

"Nah, it's okay! It's a good question, and I'll try to answer it to the best I can."

She takes in a deep breathe. I can see that I'm about to get a very personal answer, and that's exactly what I don't want to know. The last time we were discussing the past, we went ahead to _that_ level of contact...

"**I want to find a way to bring back people before they die.** That is to say, if I could prevent their deaths... I would do so immediately."

Steel enters her voice and a glint lights up her eye as she speaks. "This wish of mine, of course, came from my father. Because... right as he was struggling for breath, I really wished I knew what to do. I wished I knew that he was suffering from a heart attack, and could have called the ambulance instead of waiting..."

Her hand makes its way to my wrist - and before I can move away, she grabs it in a vise grip. She looks at me right in the eyes.

"I became aware of that after I realised that my avatar's power was healing others. Bringing their health back to full, fixing their injuries and curing status ailments... This was all part of my wish."

"Uh...okay," I nod in faux understanding, "Could you please let go of me?"

Slowly, Mikiseki releases the iron grip on my sore wrist while a small smile appears on her lips. "Of course, you might have noticed that it looks quite striking? You're not the first to have noticed it, and I've received compliments from others too; I suppose one of my other wishes was to be catch the eyes of other people, so that I would be able to get the assistance I needed in times of difficulty. It's a girl thing, I guess, but I really like it when someone comes to help me, heh heh!"

On and on she continues with other things, but my own question from earlier floats back to my mind: what was my wish, and how would it be read from my Duel Avatar?

I think back to my duels with Mikiseki and against Apple Panzer. Turquoise Duro: it's blue-green in colour. Heavyweight, tall, and quite strong-looking. Extra armour appears when I need it.

...and that's it. Was my wish so unremarkable as to have such an ordinary avatar? Or put it another way, did I even wish for anything...?

"-ey, hey," Mikiseki nudges me in the shoulder, "Are you listening?"

Colour flares in my cheeks at being caught and I shake my head. For a moment, I wonder if Mikiseki will slap me or something, but no, she just chuckles and gives that cute smile of hers. I have to look away, I admit. The magnetic attraction of her smile is too much!

"It's fine even if you don't have anything remarkable about your avatar yet, Gunsou! I mean... I started out with my healing ability, yes, but I've heard, some players activated new abilities in the middle of battle, and they hadn't even Levelled Up yet! So maybe your skill will come in time."

Silence descends when I don't reply. A cooling breeze blows, setting my mind at ease.

"Oh, would you look at the time!" Mikiseki muses, "It really does seem to fly when you're with someone special!"

Just ignore it, I tell myself. I confirm that there's ten minutes to Science class, and it's going to be on projectile motion - something I've been looking forward to, because our Science teacher loves showing us live-action presentations, making class with him a fun time! I spring to my feet and take a step down towards the labs-

"-Hey, help me up, will you?"

When I turn back, I'm greeted with the sight of Mikiseki reaching for me, her hand outstretched. The wind flaps her skirt around and I do my very best to not even glance at her bare legs-

"...Okay." I concede. I'll just help her up, and go off myself. I won't agree to anything else she asks for!

Biting my tongue, I grasp her open hand and pull her to her feet, and let go of her hand- but she doesn't let go of mine. My fingers dangle in an awkward handshake.

"Nozomi has told you at lunch already, and I've confided in you my personal wishes." Staring into my soul, Mikiseki seems quite unwilling to let me go off without a final thing to say.

"Yeah...so?"

"So I ask of you, Gunsou: will you protect me?"

My mouth hangs open, unwilling to move. I never knew that replying to four simple words could be so difficult. Mikiseki's small lips repeat her question with steel in her voice, yet sounding like a plea. "Will you protect me?"

Do I really want to do this, or am I just afraid of having to face her if I say no? I see Mikiseki five days a week, seven hours a day. If I say no, she will most definitely be disappointed...and I will have to live with that until we go to different classes.

"Okay," I reluctantly mumble, "Okay, I'll do it."

All the seriousness melts away in that moment and her face lights up with that heartwarming smile again. "I'm so glad, Gunsou!"

"Err..." Half-smiling, I'm not sure how to actually respond, so I opt for a safe nod in answer, "Yeah, I'm glad."

And then she skips off to the Science lab with a spring in her step- without me. The half-hearted smile drops from my face as soon as she passes out of earshot.

Is this how our partnership is going to be like? Me being made use of with nothing but words for repayment? That's not the kind of relationship I want!

Hitching my bag up, I make my own way forwards.

-"Gunsou."

_Oh no._ I'd know that voice anywhere. At school, outside, and at home, it's a voice as familiar as the back of my own hand. And this time, it's trembling with suppressed rage.

I turn slowly, but Misawa is in no hurry to decapitate me, it seems, because as far as she's concerned, I've been caught in the act. Standing from the topmost level of the grandstands, her arms are crossed over her chest, her eyes staring daggers.

It's not like I'm afraid of Misawa, but suddenly, I can't control the tremors in my hands. When Misawa gets angry, Hell descends on earth!

Too softly for me to hear, Misawa opens her lips, then her tongue rises to the roof of her mouth. Then three more sounds are voiced, too soft for me to hear, but easy enough to see: Burst Link.

-and the world turns blue again-

**HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!**

I can't think. I can't speak. I can only feel helplessness and despair.

_Here we go again..._

When this is all over, I'm going to have to make Misawa's favourite foods for dinner the rest of the week to appease her-

...

It's bright, unnaturally bright. The grandstand and buildings have been bleached bone white, casting long shadows across the grounds, courtesy of the huge crescent moon in the sky. No wind blows and no sound reaches my ears, save for the effects of my avatar being loaded and spawned.

This is the Moonlight stage, the stage I had first fought Tatesuke in for my first duel ever. From what I remember, it's easy to break the walls and floor, there's no traps nor enemies to deal with, and it's possible to enter buildings with more than three floors.

Not that any of that matters to me now. There's only one thing I care right now, and that's making Gunsou Kihara suffer as much pain as humanly possible! That cheating bastard, what does he think he's doing?! Doesn't he know that Mikiseki's just making use of him? It's so obvious, I don't know what she's stuffed his eyes with!

Before I can even finish spawning, I've drawn my pistol and he's in my sights: the huge blue-green avatar who's so large I don't even need to aim, how convenient! I squeeze the trigger without a second's thought-

BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM!

A cry of pain fills the stage and the empty grounds, as does the reports of gunfire. The gun kicks back with a satisfying strenght and one round deflects off his head, two tunnel into his chest and two more drill into his shoulders! How's does it feel now, idiot?!

"Misawa! Why are you doing this!"

"You know damn well why I'm attacking you," I struggle to hold back, "This is for your own good!"

"Is it Miki- uh, Gekkagawa?" He trips over her name again, "Because she came to find me after lunch, it wasn't anything else-"

Oh, so you actually know why you're in trouble now! "Of _course_ it's about Gekkagawa," I empty my lungs at him, "It was always about HER!"

Can't reply, right? You're guilty as charged, right?

"I don't see her helping you out even a fraction of what you're doing for her, so- WHY THE HELL SHOULD YOU HELP HER?! Why, Gunsou, WHY?"

The empty clip clatters to the floor and I slam in a new one. I don't even bother aiming anymore, I just keep shooting at him, I just keep walking forwards-

"You- BLAM- already- BLAM- work- BLAM- so- BLAM- hard- BLAM-" I empty the clip into any blue-green bits I can find, "So why keep going on?! The hell did she say she'll give you, huh? What else are you doing behind my back? How much more are you two doing?!"

He backsteps- trips. With grunts and cries of pain, Turquoise Duro falls over backwards to the bottom of the grandstand, shattering stone steps into dust as he goes. It must feel like salt in his wounds, and it better hurt like hell! I load in a fresh clip and let the gun do the talking, filling the air with reports and Gunsou's grunts of pain.

Everything falls into a routine of madness; pull the trigger, pull the trigger, drop the empty clip, load and slide back, repeat.

"Stop- ugh, Misawa, stop!" He pleads between gunshots, "We can talk this out!"

Like hell I'm going to let you talk your way out! Y'know what, that's just even more irritating! Get your just desserts!

Barely registering his Health dropping past seventy percent full, I empty an entire clip into his unprotected sides. That's right, Gunsou, feel your retribution one bullet at a time!

"I said I'm not giving you to her yesterday, and that's what I'm doing! But if you're going to give yourself to her like some friggin' _manservant_, then-"

I thumb a button I'd found on the side of my gun yesterday; my half-full Special Gauge depletes. A pillar of red light descends from the sky, coalescing into a definite shape; and then the mortar falls to earth with an earthshaking BAM, embedding itself and the bipod supporting it. A laser extends from my pistol's sight to wherever I aim, and the mortar's barrel adjusts accordingly.

"-THEN EAT THIS!"

I pull the trigger.

Duro watches slack-jawed as a huge round the size and length of my forearm materialises above the barrel, then drops down the length with a metallic grinding... BOOM, it fires with a spout of flame, sending it arcing above our heads and back to earth. Only now then he scrambles to move, scurrying before the round can land-

-not knowing that a mortar round doesn't have to hit to hurt-

And then the round detonates and sets everything in a five metre-radius around it on fire, including a great deal of his body! A firestorm blossoms by his side and his Health Gauge takes a beating, falling to fifty-five percent. Man, this feels great! I could do this all day!

Slapping the side of the mortar to reload it; another round falls to the bottom of the barrel, but it'll only fire when I aim and pull the trigger. Only ashes are left when Duro stirs and rises. His armour is burnt charcoal black, but it's still unblemished blue-green in places. A toasted hand reaches for me.

"Misawa... _please_..!"

You think I'm done? You think this is all I have?! I train the laser on him and pull the trigger; one satisfying BOOM later, it's a direct hit and I'm rewarded with Gunsou's scream of pain! His Health Gauge drops sharply to thirty percent and turns yellow.

I slap the barrel to load in my third and last mortar round before the mortar keeps itself automatically - I don't have an unlimited supply of ammo! Besides, all I want is punish him for doing things I didn't know about behind my back-

"-cared for you."

His voice is weak as expected, but there's something truthful about it that makes me do a double-take. The mortar round falls to the bottom of the barrel with a metallic _thunk_.

"I cared for you all these years."

The smoke slowly dissipates. My second round has punched a hold right through his stomach and charred the inside to a crisp. Gunsou's lying on the ground, defenseless, and unwilling to fight. I don't even need a third round, just a few shots to his head, or the exposed innards of his avatar will do!

I raise my gun and level the sights at his barbequed body, but my hand is shaking and I can't get a steady shot. So I walk a lil' closer, enough for me to get a decent aim, but I'm also able to hear whatever he's saying too:

"S-So-So long. I never complained, I never asked for anything in return."

His fingers twitch weakly, clenching and unclenching.

"I didn't even try to talk to Mikiseki, but this is what I get in return... Hey, Misawa, do you know," He sniffs slightly, leaking tears from his eyes, "That it isn't the bombs that hurt..."

He turns his head to face me, warm yellow eye lenses piercing me with an accusing stare.

"-But that despite how much I've sacrificed for you; feeding you, clothing you, you've turned right around and accuse me of... of.."

Goddamnit, focus! I turn the gun on him, but I just can't seem to keep my hands steady-

"...Never mind. Just do it, Misawa. Kill me."

Why can't I just pull the trigger? Wasn't I so trigger-happy a moment ago?

"Look at us now. To think that we've gone from... from family to enemies. All because of one stupid game. You've gotten too much into it, haven't you?"

_I have not!_

"Do what you like, Misawa, do what you like," Gunsou closes his eyes in resignation, "I hate leaving you alone, but I just can't go on like this."

His head turns to the side, no longer facing me. "Do it." he murmurs, fully aware that only one more mortar round is enough to end his life.

What am I doing? Think, Misawa, think! Suddenly, all the adrenaline is gone. All I have is... is..

A half-baked wish to punish him. And all I did was hurt his feelings.

"I'm thinking of making you buckwheat noodles for dinner again tonight, that okay? Just that I've only got enough for one portion, so I'll just make something else for myself..."

He's delirious now. Just end it, Cul Artillery!

But I drop the gun and run. Away from his broken body in the wreckage of the grandstands, up into an empty, unfurnished building, and hug my knees to my chest.

"He's wrong..."

I can try to say that, but my voice comes out all wrong, it's hollow and unconvincing, not a shred of conviction in it.

"He's.."

The timer reaches zero.

**YOU WIN!**

Returning to the real world, I'm back again in the grandstands, arms crossed in a now-useless show of anger; all the energy is gone now, and my jaw is slack in disbelief. Gunsou merely looks up and stares at me with watery eyes of pain, to which I turn and leave for class without giving an answer.

_Don't cry, Misawa. You're a strong girl, don't cry!_

Biting down on my tongue, I wonder if it's in my voice or his voice.

I feel betrayed by myself. I just wanted to teach him a lesson, that's all! I didn't mean to do anything else!

How can I get him to stay in a good mood later? Because, I think I really owe him for this, and I still need him to make dinner tonight after all.

...Wait, then what is he to me? He can't be just a helper, right? I know him better than that, we treat each other more friendly and informally than a housekeeper and resident. But right when I shot him, all I felt was possessiveness behind my trigger. Like he's in the wrong for hurting me with his actions, but I can't shake this feeling that I've gone just a _teensy_ bit over the limit too...

I sigh and give up.

From the corner of my eye, Tatesuke gives me a quizzical look for a moment, then he goes back to his own things.

Like hell I'll ask him for help. Gunsou's mine to settle, okay!

**tbc.**

...

Further notes:  
>It's 2.30am. I don't think I've got much to say anyway.<p>

Maybe I do, actually. After 30000 words, I've finally gotten to the end of the original plan, to put a rift between Misawa and Gunsou, on top of Mikiseki and the impending doom that DSG is the harbinger of. As far as Mirishira Romeo To Cinderella is concerned, the tragedy has begun. Feelings can't be conveyed, Romeo finds that Juliet is looking more and more attractive, and Cinderella is tired of crying in the corner...and Accel World has been added to the mix.

I want to see where this goes to as well! Writing side stories is just a scenario; finishing this work means that I can even attempt a less-than-happy ending if I feel it leans towards there. It's like a giant Jenga tower of plot, twists, and foreshadowing.

Time to sleep then! I'll see you next week with Chapter 15 of MAW!


	15. Raining with a chance of trouble

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for not updating in almost a month!

* * *

><p><em>Tag Team battles are almost the same as regular duels: They're 2-on-2 matches, the Burst Points go to the winning side, and each player has their own Health and Special Gauge. This much is evident, o' course.<em>

_But either member of a Tag Team cannot be duelled individually, neither can you challenge a Team by yourself; only a Tag Team can fight another._

_Then there is Battle Royale, in which any number of players may challenge any number of players. This option is activated by default in your Options._

_Now I'm just sayin', everyone is a Level Two or Three on average. Only a few people have reached Level Four, and even fewer people know about these rules regarding Tagteam and Battle Royale. And if we're gonna recruit someone again, this sounds like a mighty helpful thing 'ta take note of._

_-Transcript of a briefing from Whiskey Asura to the rest of _Death Star Galaxy_._

* * *

><p>...<p>

**I don't know a millimetre about fighting together!  
>互いに戦うについてミリ知らない!<strong>

...

**Kihara, Gunsou**

A million thoughts are racing through my mind and I have no idea how to deal with them.

For a start, it _hurts_. And I mean, eye-watering, stomach-churning pain is what I'm feeling. Apparently, the pain from Misawa's bombs do carry over even after the ordeal has ended! Then there's the little pricks of pain here and there wherever I've been shot at by Misawa. It's eating up all of my endurance to ignore them, yet another reason to delete this burden of a game.

Then there's the revelations: plural, because I've been informed by Misawa (with two bombs and over three dozen bullets) that she holds a deep mistrust against me and Mikiseki and whatever is going on between us. The other is my own realisation that no matter how faithful I am to Misawa in conscience, she doesn't appreciate it.

Last and not least is Mikseki. That girl is clearly running her own motives of getting close to me while she, Nozomi, Tatesuke, and Ryoutarou try to bring me into their group. For a middle-schooler, she's touching me like we're adults, and I'm not entirely comfortable with that. That said… It also implies that I do like it. Somehow.

Misawa and I definitely don't touch each other. We sleep in one bed but stay far apart, we share meals and the same bedroom and study desk, but all this is because our apartment is small. It's necessary for our survival. And i know that we're not just friends; we're definitely more than that. So I wouldn't question if Misawa touches me in the same way that Mikiseki does because I would know that she has her own reasons.

And yet, it is Mikiseki seems to think of me as her boyfriend. She looks at me with dreamy eyes, lays her hands on me whenever she can, and by design or not, I too find my eyes drifting down to follow her hands whenever she smoothes her skirt. Despite how I'm not comfortable with her contact, I can't think of a good reason to reject her either.

I'm truly between a rock and a hard place. I have given so much of my time and effort Misawa, no questions asked, and she seems ungrateful. Mikiseki seems to have jumped a lot of steps in making a relationship with me, and I'm less than willing to push her away than I should be.

I can't give Misawa up, ever. But I don't want to lose Mikiseki either. I have no other good friends in class I can confide to, and I can't tell Misawa about this, can I?

And just as I walk into class, when things can't seem to get worse, they do.

Mikiseki's in the middle of a veritable horde of girls, while all the guys are wide-eyed in revelation. And my name is repeatedly mentioned in full again and again by all of them:

"Gunsou Kihara... You can't be serious?!"

"Kihara and Gekkagawa are going out? Since when?"

"What on earth did Kihara do to get Gekkagawa to fall for him! I gotta get him to teach me some tricks, man..."

"Oh look! It's him!"

Every girl clustered around Mikiseki instantly turns to look; one girl's waist-length hair whips a lucky guy in the face. Every eye falls upon me, overflowing with envy and dripping with curiosity. I should feel like I've achieved the impossible, but instead I feel like I'm about to be interrogated.

Everybody explodes with questions at once.

"Did you Direct Connect to Gekkagawa?"

"You held hands with Mikiseki just a while ago at the stadium, didja?"

"Why did I see you two disappearing during area cleaning yesterday?!"

And probably the loudest question of all: "Is it true that you and Mikiseki are dating?"

So many hopeful gazes, so many eyes wide with wonder. Even Mikiseki herself is giving me this look of abashness, as though saying 'Well, it can't be helped, everyone saw us earlier!'

"I... Uh..."

I can see everyone leaning forward like hungry dogs. God, I don't have a choice here, do I?

"...Yes," I swallow what's left of my confidence with that word. "Yeah, but I mean, we're just-"

I have no memory of what happens next. All I can feel is a biting regret in the pit of my stomach that echoes in the same spot where Misawa put a bomb through. Truly, I'm such an idiot.

From faraway, a thunderclap shakes the sky. The cloud darkens in sync with my mood.

Forgive me, Misawa. I deserve that punishment you dealt.

…

**Ichijo, Tatesuke**

I can't take this anymore.

Misawa has been clearly shaken by something all day. Where she used to be chatty, loud, and boisterous in class, an aura of moodiness has been hanging around her since break. And when Mikiseki had texted me that she had managed to get Gunsou to tag with her, I can put two and two together.

It's time for me to take action. After the last bell chimes, I calmly save my homework files, observing Misawa's sluggish movements from behind. When she waves off her friends with an excuse, that's when I walk up from behind and stand besides her silently.

"Eh? Whatcha doing, Ichijo?"

She never calls me Tatesuke even though I call her Misawa. Oh well…

"I think we need to talk, Misawa."

"I ain't got time for talks, man," she dismisses me with a half-hearted sweep, "I got things to settle after school, sorry-"

"I believe that it concerns Gunsou and Mikiseki, doesn't it?"

That shuts her up because it's the truth. Her face undergoes an impressive range of subtle emotional see-sawing: her eyebrow rises in surprise and confusion, then her eyes darken in suspicion and wariness, her jaw clenching in an attempt to shore up her confidence. She's clearly in need of some clarification about the issue between those two.

"'Kay, so what's up with _them_?" she spits out with suppressed tension, "What's going on between them that I don't know about?"

"I believe it'll take some time to explain."

Extending a hand to her, I'm quite aware of the gasps of surprises it draws from the rest of the girls in class, and how scandalous it must surely look like! After turning down the favours of many a girl in school only to be publically humiliated by Misawa, here I am again asking her out, it must be! If only they know what's actually happening here.

"Shall we take a walk?"

If looks could kill, I may well have been fried to a crisp by the glare I'm receiving in answer! But Misawa grudgingly nods in return and gets to her feet anyway.

"Alrighty. But don't lead me on another long walk round the bushes, ya' hear me?"

"We'll get straight to the point, please believe me."

"Who's 'we'?!"

…

The answer, as it turned out, was Mikiseki and I. She had brought Gunsou with her as arranged, and so he and Misawa sat on one side of the table while Mikiseki and I sat on the other. It's a very fitting - and telling, if I may say so - arrangement that reflects their mood.

A stony silence settled in after our drinks arrived; in this small cafe a distance away from school, there weren't many middle schoolers that knew of this place, and it works to our advantage.

"Our upperclassmen Ryoutarou and Nozomi will be coming up soon enough, but fire away as much as you like, Gunsou and Misawa," I spread my hands in invitation, "Please… Be as open as you like."

Gunsou's face sinks even more and he turns away in resignation. Misawa takes a break from tearing Mikiseki apart with her bare eyes and turns to me:

"What's going on? What's up with her," she jerks a thumb at Mikiseki, "Openly flirting with Gunsou? Lemme in on the secret, c'mon."

"Let me explain, Tatesuke."

An impressive confidence takes command of Mikiseki and she holds up a hand to stop me.

"I'm in danger from other players who would very much like my powers and are willing to do anything to get them - or me," she added, "Tatesuke here is good, but not strong enough to face up to Galaxy's leader. So… That's where Gunsou comes in."

"Before I gave you Brain Burst, Misawa, I… Well, I was beaten. Very embarrassingly." Goodness, I'm going red just thinking about my defeat at Guardsman Railgun's hands.

"You guys ain't answering my question! What does Gunsou have that you want so badly?"

"Word gets around fast here, Misawa," Mikiseki explained, "Gunsou - or should I say, Turquoise Duro - took out Panzer this morning. And until then, he's never lost to a close-range type before! I mean Panzer, of course."

"So? Error 404, link not found!"

"The significance is," I painstakingly elaborate, "Apple Panzer's skills make him immune to blunt-impact attacks, and yet Duro was strong enough to defeat him. With a difference in Levels, if I may remind you again. Even I have trouble fighting Panzer; he's faster than I am and is strong and smart enough to pull my shield off."

"And what's this 'Galaxy' anyway? You're just throwing terms and expecting me to understand immediately!"

"They're a Player Killer group-"

"And just _what_ is that?"

"They're a group of players coming to recruit Mikiseki by force," Gunsou pipes up in a tiny voice, "And so they want me to protect her- OW!"

"On first-name terms with her, are we?!" grabbing his ear, Misawa twists it to unbelievable limits in her rant, "What are you getting out of this deal anyway! What's in it for us?!"

"Misawa," I coldly stare her down, "This is none of his fault, so **calm down**."

Gunsou's ear is still red when she finally lets go of him, but it's an improvement. I get the feeling that she might just rip him apart if we leave them alone in the cafe…

"It's just a game anyway, so please, Misawa," Gunsou implores, "Just let me do what they want, and I'll quit. I'll uninstall the freaking game when my job is done."

"Oh no, you don't! Brain Burst is more than that, Gunsou! Don't quit so fast before you've even scraped the surface!" Mikiseki is visibly green in horror, to which Gunsou closes his eyes in resigned defiance.

"Look at us, Gekkagawa. I… Ugh. I think we could really have been friends. We could have been good friends, but because of Brain Burst, not only are we like this… I just can't… I just can't…"

"You just can't have the same relationship with Misawa as you did before?" I ask. "I know you'd want to. Misawa, there are people who envy the two of you, did you know?"

When Gunsou drops his head in admittance, it's Misawa's turn to be surprised. Her lips part and form a round 'O' as the true situation settles in.

"I understand where you're coming from, but please, believe us when I say that we just need _Turquoise Duro_. I personally promise you, I'm not forcing _Gunsou_ to join us permanently. There is a difference." I finally conclude.

Ashamed at her impulsiveness, Misawa hangs her head and blushes slightly. Her hand moves under the table; I wonder if its settling at Gunsou's lap? He doesn't shift away or anything, but that's not important.

"I believe we've made our case, but if Gunsou is that important to you, then I'll ask again," I sit straighter and pick my words carefully, "Misawa. Will you lend us the services of Turquoise Duro's defensive power to protect Mikiseki?"

"...Lemmejoinin." She mumbles.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said, let me join in," she looks up with the familiar fire in her eyes, "Don't leave me out of this. If anything else happens to him, I'll kill you. And as for _you_, don't even think about touching him either!"

"Don't worry, Misawa, that won't happen!" Mikiseki grins, "Tatesuke is our witness here!"

I personally doubt that she will honour that promise, but at least the girls aren't fighting each other. That's good enough for now.

And so we form a tag team of two and two: Gunsou pairs with Mikiseki while I and Misawa form another team. Both team members can only be challenged by another tag team, which means a weak player can be protected by a higher-Levelled, stronger, and more experienced player.

On the flip side, it means that two high-Level players could challenge a weak team and utterly crush them, but everyone is Level 2 or 3 on average. Even Ryoutarou and I are Level 4, and we're among the strongest in Brain Burst currently. Nobody to our knowledge has reached Level 5 yet.

What's there to be afraid of then? Besides Guardsman Railgun, I don't think there's anyone else I need to be worried about...

…

**[TAG TEAM BATTLE]**

**GUARDSMAN RAILGUN & MIRAGE ZEALOT**

**VS **

**KLEIN APPRENTICE & LUKA EXTINGUISHER**

...

I am Guardsman Railgun.

Also known as _Hissatsu Toushu_ - the Certain Deadly Pitcher.

All I want is to not fail. I want the perfect pitch, the shot of the century. To watch the ball as it leaves my fingertips, carving a perfectly smooth parabolic arc in the air and watch in smug delight as the batter misses by a hair's breadth, and my ball hits home right in the sock of the catcher's glove.

Maybe that's the reason why my right hand is Accel World's most powerful long-ranged weapon. Maybe the reason why I'm a red colour is because I'm afraid to fail.

And I will never, ever, care to taste the same feelings of disappointment and regret again. That's why I'll always do my best…

...Whatever it takes to get there.

Some fifty metres behind me, Mirage Zealot, despite being one Level weaker than Klein Apprentice and less skilled in the ways of the sword, is putting up a good fight nonetheless. Their HP is more or less equal at 70%, so that means I've got absolutely nothing to worry about.

"Y'know, DSG sounds like the name of a hipster clothing brand!"

The pink one - Luka Extinguisher - is the one I need to pay more attention to. She doesn't pull her verbal punches nor her actual attacks; my Health is already at 65% while she has avoided taking serious damage, thanks to that gas attack of hers. That cloud of thick, white, foul-smelling smoke she can spray at will is very effective at suffocating other players. Which leads me to wonder if I've guessed the meaning of 'Extinguisher' correctly; I'm taking it to mean 'snuffing out someone's life.'

"Now, come on out you coward! We ain't got all day to tango!"

Her tongue certainly _sounds_ the part, but I want to test something I've been practicing for weeks now.

This is the Flooded Resort stage, and we're currently locked in combat on one of the above-land highways. There's several pillars Extinguisher is using to her advantage to prevent me from having a clear line of sight to fire, but she faces no such problems with her Area-of-Effect attack; indeed, I've had to retreat repeatedly to stay out of range of that gas she sprays.

I don't have enough Special Gauge filled to simply demolish the pillars between us and I need to keep half for later. That leaves me with three normal shots that consume five percent each time I fire. They're my only cards left to play.

Three tries. I can do this!

I cock my arm back. Fingers tense and open up as though gripping a baseball.

_Imagine_.

I twist body and wrist in one smooth motion and fire at the same time; the round curves, it curves too much, and it impacts a spot ten metres behind Extinguisher. She doesn't notice it yet...

_Imagine the ball spinning in midair to carve a parabolic trajectory._

I cock back and try again, grinding my teeth. If Guardsman Railgun even has teeth.

ZOOM!

This time, the round whizzes past her ear and she noticeably jumps. But it's still not good enough!

"What the-?!" Her voice sounds from behind the pillar - she's only taken half a step back-

_Concentrate_!

I let the third and final round fly and twist my wrist with all my will. Fly a curved path, boy, fly!

CLANG!

Extinguisher's sweet, sweet scream of pain. Her footsteps as she stumbles and trips over herself. The muted glop sound effect of her Health Gauge decreasing slightly, they all reward my ears. At last, I've made a perfect shot right on target.

Sprinting forward, I seize the girl by the scruff of her neck- and before she realises what's happening, I hurl her over the edge of the highway headfirst to the rocks below-!

CRACK!

Her Health drops sharply, but it's not enough. I follow her over the side to her broken body below, and as I land I take that extra bit of care needed to plant my foot into the joint of her leg-

CRUNCH!

"AHHHH!"

I hate girls, especially when they cry!

"Shut up, you little bitch, shut up!"

I level the gun at her head. I'm this close to pulling the trigger, do you understand?! When I want a plan to go through, I will move mountains to make sure it goes through and one crying girl is NOT going to stand in my way-

With no warning whatsoever, Mirage Zealot taps my shoulder with all the grace of a ghost.

"..."

Woah there. Way to ruin the moment, man… But I gotta stick to the plan too. Just as Klein Apprentice tries to makes his own leap from the highway, I aim at the side and let go the rest of my charge, all _fifty_ percent of it. I shouldn't waste it on a duel avatar when I can bring down half the highway with a well-aimed shot, but-

One scream of pain and broken bones later, it's clear as day that Apprentice is out of the fight for good. Nothing to stop us now.

The blue-black blade in Zealot's hands looks a little worse for the wear, but Zealot himself is more than able to do the job I recruited him for. "Ready, Zealot? Just like we planned."

He nods wordlessly and touches the very tip of the blade to Extinguisher's cheek. Dazed at the fall and with my weight still on top of her broken leg, she can only squeak in shock and confusion, to which he has no reaction at all.

The dark blade in Zealot's hands begins to glow, flaring with blue light from within, but when the tendrils of darkness emerge and wrap themselves around the blade, even I can't quite control the tremor in my fingers. Zealot merely stares down at Extinguisher emotionlessly, transmitting seemingly no threat whatsoever, yet binding her body to the spot of its own accord. It can't be helped - you always get the feeling that there's something staring back at you whenever you are to look into those bottomless eyes.

I honestly don't know anything about Zealot except what he tells me to do for him in return for his services. After he's finishes doing his weirdo work, I let him get his Burst Points from killing both the opponents and I get what I want the next morning: detailed information about the Burst Linker whom he targets with this skill. Very, _very_ detailed information. That's all I need to know.

"No…"

Extinguisher's lovely pink lips, overflowing with fear and terror, fails in a spectacular display of breaking down. Her eyes are so wide, they're practically saucers, and they're filled with Zealot's bottomless ones.

"..."

And he thrusts the blade into her neck, quickly and quietly extinguishing her remaining Health. Nearby, Klein Apprentice stirs slightly; he's tough as expected of a blue colour, but he's a sitting duck after the fall from the highway, plus my own railgun fire earlier. Zealot makes quick work of his head and the duel reaches its conclusion:

[GUARDSMAN RAILGUN & MIRAGE ZEALOT WIN!]

Damn right you are. I always win no matter what.

I glance at the timer - 800 seconds left. We've taken longer than normal to finish off this fight, but that's probably because we're evenly matched for Levels.

Soon, however, Levels won't matter anymore. I have absolute trust in Zealot that he can pull this through, just like all those times in the past.

And afterwards, when Spring Renascentia is mine in presence and will, we can have our fun.

...

**Ichijo, Tatesuke**

We've gone through a _third_ round of drinks by the time Nozomi finally calls Mikiseki, and that's mildly unsettling. I know the second years have remedial classes, but Ryoutarou and Nozomi were supposed to show up an hour ago! Misawa and Gunsou have even gone to a quiet corner of the cafe to have a private discussion, leaving me and Mikiseki alone.

"Uh, what?"

Mikiseki's eyes dart this way and that while she converses with Nozomi over the phone. Or I should say, over the the Neuro Linker. Once that technological marvel became cheap enough despite compact, high-power batteries as its power source, the mobile phone well and truly became a thing of the past.

"Oh. Oh! Dear god, are you okay, Nozomi?"

I don't need to hear Nozomi's side of the conversation to know that things just took a turn for the worst. Waving over to Gunsou and Misawa, I gesture at them to return.

"Whassap?"

I note that Gunsou returns with a small, weak smile of satisfaction; perhaps he's finally managed to convince Misawa of his side of the story? That's good, I knew they could be trusted to work it all out together. At least for awhile.

"Uh, I dunno, but I think Nozomi and Ryoutarou have got news for us..." I pick up my iced tea and take another sip.

"Yes, yes, alright. See you in five." Hanging up the call, Mikiseki leans back in her seat, looking as though she was just informed of extra remedial class on Saturday morning.

"We're not gonna leave this cafe for a while."

"Excuse me?! What the heck is this about now-"

Whatever Misawa tries to pin on Mikiseki gets drowned out by the sound of the cafe doors being wrenched open with the force of a hurricane! In storms in Nozomi and Ryoutarou, both of them sopping wet with rainwater, dripping all over the floor. For a good three seconds they just stand there, panting to catch their breath. Were they _running_ here?

"Are... Are you okay, Nozomi?"

Nozomi doesn't respond to Mikiseki's query for the briefest of instants.

"All of you. **Switch**** off your Neuro Linkers now!**"

**tbc.**

...

Further Notes:  
>Action, action, action! An Accel World fanfiction does not move without action!<p>

I wrote out the fight scene well over two weeks ago actually, but I thought it didn't quite make sense for awhile, then real life kicked in with personal problems, army commitments, and then some truly crazy last-minute assignments kept coming our way! I'm genuinely going to have a shortage of time to sit down and breathe, let along write!

How many more chapters will I take? I'm aiming for another five more at the most; I will honestly admit I haven't had to complete a story before; all my other works are stalled. :/

Well, until next time!

-Tusjecht


	16. Versus Guardsman Railgun

**A/N**: It's been too long, FFN. I've missed you!

* * *

><p>-Networks: Global or Local 'Nets,' for short.<br>-Local Nets are for homes, restaurants, office systems, et cetera.  
>-Global Net, everything else considered public domain.<p>

Normally, can't challenge someone connected to Local Net from the Global Net. Vice versa too.

No problem at all

I can track someone if they make a call. I have tracked someone before.

(He was never safe)

There's only one way to refuse a duel legally, and that's to disconnect yourself from the network completely

That girl thinks she's smart, but she's not.

Can't run away because she was never free to begin with

_- from the handwritten notes of Mirage Zealot_

...

**I don't know a millimetre about playing for fun!  
>気軽な遊ぶにミリ知らない!<strong>

...

**Kihara, Gunsou**

"Switch off your Neuro Linkers now!" Nozomi said. Her words hung in the air for a full three seconds.

"Uhh...why? What's happening?" I asked.

"There's no time to explain. Just do it!" she orders.

Nozomi glares at me all the way as I reach up and slowly touch the power button on my Neuro Linker. The windows in my vision cease to exist and I exchange identical looks of confusion with Misawa. Only Tatesuke and Mikiseki nod in understanding.

"They're here already, aren't they?" Tatesuke asks.

"And they beat us very badly," Ryoutarou chews on his lip, "We were evenly matched for Levels, but that didn't matter at all..."

"So that means-"

"Yes," Nozomi cracks her knuckles, "We gotta go right now."

"Wait wait waitwaitwait! Hold your horses, what's going on?" Misawa protests. "You're just gonna leave us like that?"

"Actually, yes. You're too dangerous to hang around close to my darling Miki, because between the two of you, you're a newbie Level One. You're a liability to our team right now, and if Guardsman Railgun gets us because of you, I will hang you by your tongue from the Tokyo Government Office." Nozomi stabs her finger at Misawa, who visibly recoils in shock.

"Nozomi!" Ryoutarou exclaimed, "That's not what I said! I never told you they were liabilities!"

"But you know it yourself too!" Nozomi rounds on Ryoutarou. "If Guardsman Railgun finds someone more powerful than him, they end up joining his gang! There's no way I'd let Kitamura become the cause for all of us to be uninstalled!"

"Will you just stop this," I grind my teeth in a low voice, "What did Misawa do to you? Nothing! What's with all the hate?!"

Nozomi spins round, her eyes flaring, mouth opening to unleash a curse-

"Nozomi."

Mikiseki calls out quietly but clearly.

"I... I understand. But it's not their fault, they don't know as much as you do." She rises and slowly pushes in her chair.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Gunsou. But we'll have to go first." As she leaves, Nozomi shoots me one last glare and follows her out into the pouring rain.

Shaking his head, Tatesuke quietly got up too to leave. "Sorry guys..."

Only Ryoutarou is left, and he is clearly crestfallen at the disunity of his friends.

"So? You gonna stay or you gonna go?" Misawa taunts him, "No need to be polite!"

Ryoutarou shrugs and sighs. "I didn't want things to turn out like this. Really, you two... On their behalf, I apologise."

And then he gets up and leaves too. Switching my Neuro Linker back on, a notification appears, informing me that Ryoutarou has just paid for the bill.

An awkward silence settles, only punctuated by the pouring rain. It doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon, so I turn to Misawa.

"The nearest bus stop is about a hundred metres away, Misawa..."

"Nah," she waves her hand dismissively, "Not worth the run. I can't even run as fast as you can, y'know!"

"Surely you're not _that_ slow..."

"For heaven's sake, it's raining out there!"

Okay, I have to give it to Misawa. And besides, I wonder what would happen if I was to run into Mikiseki and her gang again...

"I'm gonna look around for a shop," I say as I get up from the table, "Maybe there's umbrellas being sold somewhere. Let's go home...okay?"

"Um, yeah!" Misawa nods vigourously, "Yeah... Yeah."

Her smile looks a little too strained. Should I...?

Nope. Just stick to finding a way home for now. When we do, I'll have all the time I want to talk to Misawa properly.

But I don't even know where's the nearest shop that sells umbrellas...

.

It turns out that there was a street market the other way, so after getting drenched while searching hastily, I eventually found the distinctive red-and-white canvas tents of the street market, leading all the way to the other side of the cafe. Shivering and dripping rainwater, I set about looking for the cheap compact umbrellas I could buy with my emergency cash.

"Hey, kid!" one of the shopkeepers call in my direction, "Want some hot milk tea? Perfect for a pick-me-up in this cold weather! Add fifty yen for some invigorating ginger!"

"No thanks," I smile and shake my head, "It's alright."

And so this pattern repeated itself twice or thrice more until I find it at last: a middle-aged woman selling some classic patterns and designs. I pay for two on the spot.

"But, lil' boy, don't you want to get a third one?" she says, "These are cheap an' good; give you a third one for another 'undred? Any pattern you like!"

"It's okay, I have what I need, ma'am."

Rain is good for street market business, I guess. Now that I think of it... man, those hamburgers over there look real good...

I catch myself before I start walking over. Emergency money is just that: emergency cash. I can't spend too much or I'll have to make up for it somewhere else.

I walk past a stand full of children's toys. The shopkeeper eyes me and holds up a metal ring puzzle.

"How 'bout it, young man? Fancy one of these? Check out the rest of 'em, man, anything catch your eye?"

I scan quickly, already taking a step closer towards the cafe- and freeze.

Red, blue, white, nine 'cubes' to a face. A Rubik's Cube. It's a little old and the paint is faded, but it definitely looks like it works. An experimental twist of the red face of the cube reveals the toy to have surprisingly smooth joints - the previous owner must have lubricated the cube, did he?

"Ah, this? 'Tis a cheap but good quality toy. Pity they don't make 'em anymore."

"Um... no thanks, sorry. I just thought it was interesting."

The aged shopkeeper shrugs. "Never mind. Kids nowadays have everything they want from their parents and throw the rest out to places like here. But one man's trash is another man's medicine- no, that's not it, what was the phrase again..."

"Kids nowadays...have everything from their parents?" I whisper.

That's not true. I mean, I didn't get 'everything,' unless it includes my father leaving. Or my mother shutting herself up in work.

So then, have I actually missed so much that I don't know what I have missed? Did I really get everything?

No. I gave everything I got to Misawa. Food, clothing, care, and my time. I'm happy with that, really. I'm happy if Misawa's happy.

...That's what I told myself last time. And I don't think I'm happy now, am I?

I never thought I'd come to this point, but it looks like I have to ask myself seriously. Do I choose Misawa, or opening up to others with Brain Burst? That means Mikiseki and her friends.

What should I do?

***BASHIIN***

...

**Guardsman Railgun**

It's a name I haven't seen before in this area. That's probably the only reason I chose this guy.

"Turquoise... Duro. Level 1, won once, drew once, lost once. Newbie."

I'll just get the ten Points and leave. I can always go for a bigger fish tomorrow when Zealot finishes his report. For now...

The stage loads in the form of a neon-lit shopping district and he's right there in front of me. Blue-green armour, he looks tough. Certainly, he's got the advantage in height and strength. But above all, he's just a newbie. I bet he doesn't know a millimetre about battling at all.

"Woah, what? Another...red-colour avatar?"

Above, the Gallery collectively takes a breath. Some spectators 'follow' me to keep tabs on my duels, including Mirage Zealot, but the vast majority above us spectating the fight now are all Brain Burst players well aware of my name. Unlike this guy.

This will be goddamn easy!

-"No hard feelings, man. After all, you're weak."

Duro visibly flinches. "You called me...what?"

"I said-" I curl my wrist back over and behind my shoulder, "-that you're going down!"

-And I serve the first pitch-

BAM.

At this close range, there's no way I can miss. The round flew straight and true, burying itself in the forehead of Turquoise Duro and throwing him back.

"Ow!" Turquoise Duro yelled, clutching his head in pain, "Why do all the red avatars carry guns? It's cheating!"

"Eh heh heh... Ah hah hah, ah hahahaha!"

I can't help it! This isn't just a beginner, he's a total friggin _loser_! Hands down, this has got to be the funniest thing I've seen all day!

"Ughh! C'mere!"

The thudding of heavy footsteps kills the mood immediately and I look up: Duro's charging at me, drawing back his left fist in a punch I can see coming from a mile away. Even though we're this close, his utter inexperience makes him look about as threatening as a Youtube comment.

All I have to do is stand there until the last second, duck and lunge to the side in one easy movement, and jump out of harm's way. I even manage to score a free kick on his exposed back while Duro ran full-tilt into a virtual car hulk, denting the rusted steel like it was aluminium foil. That one kick alone earns me another five percent that fills up my Special Gauge with a small _glop_-

"Hyah!"

And I hurl another round, then another, and a third round in quick succession, Duro can only yelp in pain and fruitlessly shield himself. There's no blocking these curveballs I'm tossing, and this ain't even my full power!

This is just the first thirty or so seconds of the fight, and Duro's already at 75% health? Man, this is too one-sided. There's no need for me to even fight seriously if he's taking this much damage.

...Maybe I'll play a little. I'm not even busy after this fight anyway, so why not up the ante and make things more exciting?

"Hey, you there. How'dya feel?"

"Like a practice target, thank you very much," said Turquoise Duro, glaring at me with one of the most agonising looks I've ever seen. "What in the world are you throwing at me?!"

"It's just a baseball, dude," I flick my wrist to produce one and toss it leisurely in the air, "Just a baseball."

What had he been thinking those were? Anyone who had half a brain inside their heads would've look 'round and spotted the little red ball rolling away from them after every time I fired. If that didn't give it away, then what about the snap of the wrist to produce a new ball, or the very act of throwing the ball? I guess I do take pains to make each throw as efficient as possible, but if those weren't clear enough already, then you've gotta be blind to not know. I think it's pretty simple.

Duro's eyebrow is in imminent danger of disappearing into his forehead, so rather than risk cracking his poor skull as a result of explaining my skill, I go straight to the point:

"You got any skills hidden or something? Surely you're saving up for something. A Killer Move, perhaps? Or perhaps even...an Enhanced Armament?"

"En..Enhanced Armament?"

"Err...y'know, like a weapon or extra thingy you've got from the beginning. Something that comes with your avatar, ya' understand what I'm talking about?"

"..."

From the way Turquoise Duro remains standing there silently, trying to burn me through by sheer will alone, he probably doesn't have either. Not as though I expected him to have anything...

"Maybe there is, after all."

Duro clenches his fists and draws them back to his waist-

"-Reserve Armour!"

-Wait, what?

A shrilly rasping sound of metal on metal. From seemingly nowhere, polished silver armour plating emerges and covers every bit of Turquoise Duro's arms, easily doubling their size. His shoulder guards thicken with burnished metallic protection and his fists fuse into a much more recognisable outline - boxing gloves. There no other visible changes to the sturdy blue-green armour that covers the rest of Turquoise Duro, but-

-"I'm not going to lose!"

And under his breath, so faint I doubt he was talking to me, Duro adds, "I'll show you that I can do this..."

I could facepalm. This is probably his third battle and all, but Turquoise Duro needs to urgently learn that such anime-esque declarations of resolve simply don't mean anything in Brain Burst!

I mean, if saying such things really help me win, then what did all those messages in the past count for...?

"Bring it on!"

Whether real or imagined, something distorted that otherwise confident-sounding voice, something that I instinctively recognised: the fear of failure.

For the first time in this fight, I allow myself to really smile. A teeth-baring, tell-all, kind of smile. It's just like the kind I make when I'm about to kill in a single shot.

-This loser has no idea what's going to hit him!

I raise my hand back again-

"UWOHH!"

With all the rage of a four-year-old throwing a tantrum, Duro charges. I set the ball in my fingers and cock back, ready to strike.

"Hyah!"

Duro is all sloppy in his movements. His footwork leaves him unbalanced after each punch; I dodge three of his awkward straights and let fly-

"Oh no, you don't-!"

_CLANG._ My ball bounces harmlessly off the hardened silver armour; Duro threw his arm up at the last second. Well, he's finally catching on, I'll give it to him!

"Oh, so you can block one-"

-Two balls materialise simultaneously in the air to be caught in both my hands-

"-I think the good Dr. Railgun ordered a double dose!"

There's no letting up of the pressure here. I pitch right, curving the ball round his curled arms to target his head. Then I hurl the left in a relentless straight throw, targeting his exposed neck-

I'm not exactly used to pitching with my left, but I've been practicing! Duro's cries of shock come as a sweet, sweet reward and prove that my training is progressing. So now being an ambidextrous pitcher, I've got that going for me, which is good and all-

"UGH!"

-a shiny silver fist smashes my cheek in-

"So, Doctor Railgun," Duro spat, "Everything going well?"

How the hell did he get so close?! I hastily twist and jump backwards- but Duro seizes my ankle and pulls, bringing my head firmly into contact with terra firma. I see stars in my eyes again, it's been a long time since I last saw them-

"Now, I don't know a lot about being one of those bullies in school, but if I hafta make a guess-"

-_Uh oh_-

"They like to kick a man who's down, or so I've heard!"

-And a foot clad in blue-green sinks itself into my ribs-

"ARGH!"

Damnit! It hurts! Twisting away doesn't lessen the pain any less, it just presents my spine as a target, I roll from side to side as my Special Gauge rapidly fills-

"UWOHH! Friggin STOP-"

If I have to use my trump card, so be it, I'm gonna die at this rate!

"CERTAIN DEADLY-"

A barrel as long as I'm tall extends from my forearm, pushing itself into Duro's unprotected chest-

"Huh?"

"-RAILGUN!"

The world is dyed white for an instant-

CRASH. The very ground seems to shake as Duro is thrown back a full twenty metres and into the pillar of a huge skyscraper. Sparks fly from his ruined chest, exposing a crumbling, smoking smorgasbord of electronics within. From the huge wound, a red substance pours-

"You... You really had me there, faggot. You made me use my Killer Move, and at half-power, no less."

One hand clutching my sides, I stow my railgun double-time and ready a ball. Duro's health stands at twenty percent, while I'm at forty; still in the yellow zone. But then again, I've never gone yellow since I hit Level 3.

"-is that so."

Duro's head is hunched over like a dead man, but I guess it's pure ignorance that keeps him going. Any Burst Linker with a shred of common sense would have backed down and acknowledged his loss, or so it should be.

"Is that... Is that good enough?"

"Whaddya' mean, good enough?"

No, seriously. What? Things like 'good enough', 'sufficient effort,' they don't belong on this battlefield. That's the real world, man. Has Duro seriously lost it?

"-I mean, I could give it to you for forcing me to bring out my Killer Move. You're a newbie, but I'm the _veteran_. Any day the fight goes in your favour, I'd say that's... That's impressive."

"Do... Do you really mean that?"

"Well, well of course! It's- It's not like I'm complimenting you or something like that! For a Level 1 to stand up like that-"

-_I'd say you have the guts I never had_.

That second half of my sentence was locked up at the tip of my tongue. I can't say that, not when I'm supposed to be looking for Spring Renascentia.

"Look, kid, you gotta learn to just, just tell yourself, 'To hell with the world!' Do whatever you want. You'd be better that way."

Yup, that's all I can say for now.

"'To hell with the world', 'do anything I want,' huh."

Pieces of blue-green armour fragment and disintegrate into polygons, but Duro struggles to stand.

"I'll keep that in mind then. Does that mean that you wanna-"

_SMASH._

Teehee! This is still a duel, idiot!

My ball drills itself through his wounded chest and /through/, emptying out his remaining Health. The words 'YOU WIN!' appear in system font in the center of my vision.

"-Wha..."

"Too bad, son. Try again next time!"

I pull my baseball cap down and walk away. I don't care anymore, it's just another mook crushed today...

-He's got potential, that one.

-I hope I don't see him again.

**tbc.**

Further notes:  
>I'm truly sorry for the hiatus of more than three months, I was up to my neck in army stuff: exercises, National Day Presidential Gun Salute, and then there was a *ton* of admin matters to clean up...<p>

Well, time to get back to regular writing!

-Tusjecht


	17. I don't know anything, anymore

_Not every move must consume the Special Attacks Gauge, or simply the Special Gauge:_

_Most don't use the Gauge at all and can be used anytime. They're just Normal Moves._

_Some deplete it at a slow rate when they're in use, or as long as you have some Special remaining. They're termed Limited Activation moves._

_And then there's the big 'uns, needing a minimum amount before you can use 'em, and they'll eat it all in one go: the so-called Killer Moves. They're usually the strongest skills you can have._

_But a duel avatar's main focus, on the other hand, could be any one of the three moves. Only time and experimentation can tell..._

_-From the first duel between Nozomi & Mikiseki, teaching her about duel avatars_

.

**I don't know a millimetre about...anything!**  
><strong>何もことがミリ知らない!<strong>

.

**Kihara, Gunsou**

I'm overwhelmed.

As though I'm stuck at the bottom of a diving pool, or confined to a jail cell. A deep sense of helplessness and confusion has been filling my mind since yesterday.

Yesterday, when a new Burst Linker, Guardsman Railgun, had destroyed me with sheer power, it didn't really hurt as much as when Misawa had shot me. That wasn't so bad, I guess.

But then this morning, the results from last week's Mathematics test had come back, and whaddya know, I've been ranked quite far down in the class rankings. A pass mark of seventy-eight percent was stellar in elementary, but in middle school, this is _dismal_!

And then to cap it all, Misawa texted me again to join her, Tatesuke, and the rest of the players in school to meet afterwards. How are their grades doing, then? Are they that free to keep playing Brain Burst during school hours? And why, the implication seems to be, does it seem that Misawa is joining them in as well?!

But no, I play along and push down all my feelings to where it won't show, and reluctantly take my seat at the table as arranged. It's one of the various study tables alotted for students and group work: six seats to a table, translucent privacy screens, and a central hub with six Direct Connect cables in the center. Five cables have already been drawn out and connected to their Neuro Linkers. Misawa pulls out the last cable and offers it to me.

"...Thanks." I murmur and quietly insert the plug into my Neuro Linker.

Ryoutarou nods at me and holds up three fingers. "Well guys, let's not waste any time then. Three... Two... One..."

"Burst Link!" Our voices murmur as one.

BASHINN!

Six Net Avatars materialise in the recreated space. Ryoutarou stretches his sides before turning to me and chuckling darkly:

"Gunsou. As you know, we require your assistance to protect Miki. More specifically, while we fend off Guardsman Railgun and his group, you'll be defending her like a second skin. I think Miki has already seen your avatar and its capabilities, but I'd like to see them for myself."

_-'Here we go again' much?_ I nod in reply to Ryoutarou.

"Miki. Tag up with Gunsou."

"Who's going to be our duel partners, then?" Miki asks.

"I am," Ryoutarou asnwers simply. "I'm the only Level 4 here; Tatesuke and Nozomi are Level 3, and Misawa is still Level 1. So, all of ya'll ready?"

Mikiseki quickly manipulates her menu and sends me the invite: **DO YOU TAG WITH SPRING RENASCENTIA?**

"C'mon Gunsou. Just push the button!"

I glance at Misawa. She's looking away to the side, but out of the corners of her eyes, her expression is most definitely one of calm. Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?

"Misawa?" I ask, "You alright?"

Only then does she turn and look at me straight. "Yeah! Yeah... Just go on."

I accept the invite and Ryoutarou nods in approval. "Let's go, everyone!"

A fancifully stylised 'DUEL!' button falls from the sky and Ryoutarou hits it confidently. The blue space around us quickly fades to black and changes to...

...the ocean?

"The 'Flooded Resort' Stage, huh. Ain't too bad!"

Where Ryoutarou stood, a tall Japanese-style avatar has taken his place. A traditional swordsman's robe covers much of his avatar in a reliable shade of deep blue, though his arms are a slightly lighter colour. A curved decorative piece, representing his hair, extends from the back of his head to his back. A smooth wooden sword is hung from the left of his waist.

Above all, even though my duel avatar and his are the same height, I feel an immense pressure emanating from his gaze. It isn't that his eyes are frightening; rather, his gaze seems to bear down upon me with fighting spirit. Ryoutarou breathes in and expands his avatar's chest ever so slightly, as though filling it with liquid confidence.

Looking up at our Health Gauges, I read his name silently: Klein Apprentice. To the left is 'Spring Renascentia' and 'Turquoise Duro,' the names of Mikiseki's and my duel avatars respectively.

A deep metallic voice issues from Apprentice's unseen mouth.

"So, Turquoise Duro. I see your duel avatar looks pretty nice, it's a sturdy medium built with no visible weapons..." He trails off mid-sentence.

"Weapons?" I raise an eyebrow, "Does everyone get one of those?"

"Nope, not every duel avatar will get an Enhanced Armament!" Mikiseki / Spring Renascentia says, "But everybody will get Normal and Special Moves like I told you the other day, remember?"

"Rena, that's not the right name for them!" Apprentice exclaims.

In the split second it takes for me to realise that 'Rena' is a contraction of 'Renascentia,' Apprentice has already begun to speak:

"...aren't the best way to describe them. I mean, the distinction is there, but it's better to describe them as _Passive Skills_ and _Active Skills_."

While he spoke, Klein Apprentice unsheathed his weapon and held it with his two hands.

"A Passive Skill doesn't always need to consume Special Gauge to be used. So if it doesn't use it at all, then it's just that: a Passive Skill."

Apprentice walks over to a crumbling hunk of concrete, raising the sword above his head. He freezes there for a moment, and-

"HYAH!"

_BOOM!_ The block of concrete is reduced to gravel and dust with a single stroke. The ground quakes slightly from the destruction; from the sides, Tatesuke and Nozomi clap in approval.

"A _Limited Activation_ Passive Skill, on the other hand, may deplete the Gauge at a constant rate, depending on whether you're actively using it or not. Something like Tatesuke - Green Guardian's _Defense Up_, which will use up a full Gauge in about a minute or so."

"Notice how my Special Gauge filled up just now? You can get it from destroying the Stage, and because of that, I can now execute my _Active Skill_: one move which consumes Special in one shot..."

Apprentice flicks his sword over to his left and faces me; a dreadful feeling fills my chest and suddenly, the light green avatar that belongs to Mikiseki is nowhere to be found-!

"If you'll excuse me, Duro. _Snake Bite_!"

A purple glow surrounds his sword- no, two swords?!

WHOOSH! Apprentice charges straight at me, one sword swinging in from the left, another from the right. All I can do is throw up my arms and roar "Reserve Armour!"

-no shiny silver armour appears-

BLA-BLAM! Two consecutive hits land on target and blow me back ten metres in the air. I land on my back and start rolling all over until I finally come to a halt at a red avatar's feet-

"Lol. C'mon Gunsou, get up and teach him a lesson!"

Oh right. The red avatar belongs to Misawa, Cul Artillery.

"Sorry about that," Apprentice sheathes his sword and bows lightly. "But it was a good outcome nonetheless. Your Special Gauge has been filled by a quarter, and you're now acquainted with the power difference between a Level 4 and a Level 1."

"It feels like yesterday..." I mutter and stagger back upright.

"I noticed you tried to use a move just before I hit you, Duro," Apprentice cocks his head to the side. "Surely it wasn't an Enhanced Armament, so was it a Passive Skill? Or an Active Skill?"

"How do I tell which is it?" I grit my teeth, trying to hold back the pain.

"Click on your name and see your movelist." Apprentice says.

-Oh right. I did this before already with Mikiseki the last time...

"...'Reserve Armour' is a Limited Activation Passive Skill, Ryoutarou."

"Please address me by 'Apprentice' in-game. It's politeness and courtesy." He narrows his eyes down on me.

-Or is it just your ego and sense of identity? "Yes... Apprentice."

"Well then. What does the rest of the description say?"

"Uh," I look back at the game's window, ""_Extra armour plating. Coverage increases with more 'Bonuses.' This armour is_... " Uh, what's this character? '_utsu_' from '_utsuru_,' '_koro_' of '_korogaru_,' and followed by '_dekiru_'?"

"That's read as '_iten dekiru_.' It means... '_transferable_.'" Apprentice explains for me.

"Huh? So, 'this armour is transferable' means that...it can move?"

"**To another duel avatar**." Apprentice's eyes light up in excitement. "Yo, Rena! Get over here!"

The light green female avatar jogs over. "Geez, Apprentice, you need me to heal him already?"

"No, but I've got an idea. Duro," He gestures at Renascentia, "While you touch Renascentia, use that move. I want to see what happens."

"But, but, whenever I call it, it only goes to my arms, Ryou- sorry, Apprentice!"

"Never try, never know, Duro! Just go ahead." Apprentice shrugs his shoulders.

I turn 'round to look at Misawa. The arms of her cute red avatar are folded and her expression is unreadable, but she just nods in agreement.

"Okay... Here I go."

Placing my hands on Renascentia's petite shoulders, I'm suddenly quite aware of our difference in height between our duel avatars. Renascentia's head only comes up to my chest level.

"...'Reserve Armour.'"

_SLOSH!_ My arms shiver instinctively, but it's the sight that I can't quite believe! Instead of plates, the armour now looks like mercury with a mind of its own, flowing from my arms to Renascentia's body. The sound it makes very much sounds like... it sounds like...

"It's _freezing_!" Mikiseki / Renasentia shivers under my grasp. "It's almost like taking a cold shower!"

The large green eye lenses belonging to Cul Artillery squint in annoyance. Apprentice merely looks on in approval of this phenomenon.

When no more silvery liquid flows from my arms, I gingerly remove my hands from Renascentia's shoulders and admire the transformation. Her avatar is almost completely encased in shining silver armour, evenly covering her entire avatar. Even her head is encased in an open-type helmet, shielding every bit of light-green with brilliantly shining silver.

"This is...beyond my expectations. Very impressive, Duro. This is marvellous!" Renascentia holds up her arms as she inspects the final product, "This armour doesn't even feel heavy!"

"That looks very nice on you, Miki!" Nozomi calls out from the sidelines.

"How's your Special Gauge holding up, Duro?" Apprentice asks, "Is it falling any faster or slower?"

I examine my shrinking Gauge. "I guess... it seems like it's going slower, but I've never tried this before..."

Then a question came to mind. "What about when I need it back? What if I need to fight somebody else, but I've got nothing to protect myself?"

"The description for Reserve Armour stopped there at 'This armour is transferable,' right?" Apprentice tilted his head to the side, "Getting it back should be simple. Rena, go touch Duro. Maybe with your hand, or whatever part is covered with armour."

The instant she came into contact, the armour turns to liquid and flows back twice as fast, quickly taking it's usual form as thick plates covering my arms. "So that's how it is..." I say.

"Well, this is perfect! Armour you can freely manipulate to protect yourself or Renascentia. Looks like we're good! Don't you think so, Cul?" Tatesuke nudged Misawa's avatar.

"Uh... Um, I guess it's good, too..." She replies quietly. "What do you think, Upperclassman Luka?"

"Who's 'Luka'?" I whirl around in confusion.

"That would be me, you idiot!" a pink avatar snarls in Nozomi's voice. Chewing on her lip, she huffs and says, "I gotta admit, this guy ain't half-bad. That's a nice Child you got there, Rena."

"Alright, alright, we all agree that Turquoise Duro is good," Apprentice gives me a thumbs-up. "I need to know too, Duro, what about its strength? Didn't you use this before against Apple Panzer? How did the battle go afterwards?"

"Uh, I-"

_-Wait a minute, I used this too yesterday..._

"Actually..." I swallow briefly and continue, "I duelled with Guardsman Railgun yesterday, and used Reserve Armour too."

You could hear a pin drop in the deafening silence. Apprentice's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What? Why didn't you tell us earlier!"

"I forgot," I reply lamely, "Please forgive me."

"We're gonna need to rethink everything because of this!" He blinks several times and clears his throat, "Well, uh... How was it? How did it go?"

"He floored me completely. I stood no chance against him. Even my armour couldn't stand his attack..."

I raised my hands in surrender, head bowed, but at the same time, something had stirred within me. "I'm sorry, Apprentice. I guess... I guess I'm too weak for you and your group-"

"No, you are NOT!"

In the blink of an eye, Apprentice crosses the distance between him and I, seizing me by the shoulders and pinned me against the wall.

"Ryou!" Renascentia exclaims, "What are you doing!"

"You're not as weak as you believe," Apprentice growls, "All duel avatars at the same level have the same potential, and this skill is proof of that. You agreed to help us, and so you _will_ fulfil your obligations, _Gunsou_."

To which I coldly reply, "So, how do you maintain your grades then, _Upperclassman_? Hmm, Mikiseki? How did you do for the Mathematics test?"

Silence. And after a few seconds, Nozomi breaks it with a scoff.

"Oh please, Duro. Didn't you know that when you Accelerate, you can use your other programmes too?"

-_What?_

Nozomi smirks at the sight of my look of shock. "What a faggot. But an honest faggot, I'll give it to you. See, none of us ever had to worry about our grades because we can freely Accelerate and use the extra time to think. All it costs is one Burst Point, and us veterans have hundreds to spare. Brain Burst isn't on the school's list of forbidden programmes. Nobody except for us knows. So...what's there to stop you from checking your notes every now and then?"

"That's... That's cheating, isn't it?" I whisper.

Nozomi / Extinguisher shrugs. "So what if it is? It ain't against the school rules, so it's not illegal. And if you go to the teachers, who's gonna believe you?"

"And one more thing, Duro..." Tatesuke says, "If you lose all your Burst Points by losing too many battles, Brain Burst will uninstall itself. And rumours say that it'll take all your memories of Acceleration with you. I don't want to sound like I'm threatening you, but... if push comes to shove, we can - and we will - do that to stop you from talking."

"You can't be that serious about a simple game!" I exclaim. "Misawa! Burst Out right now! I'm not going to do this anymore-"

"I'm not going."

"Excuse me?" I can't believe my ears.

"I said," Misawa repeats herself, "I'm staying with them. And as for why, I guess... Look, you said you'd do this, didn't you? And now you're backing out? That's not the Gunsou I know."

Her words sting. But that she's the one saying it... does it hurt more or less?!

"And furthermore, Acceleration is truly a wonderful power. I don't agree with the cheating, yes. But just because you can do that, doesn't mean you should! I think you can use Brain Burst for other things, Gunsou!"

"Like _what,_ playing a game?" I snap back at her, "Come on! There's school and other things we need to handle! And.. And!"

"You don't get it, Gunsou," Misawa says softly, "Acceleration let me do things I've never dared to do before. I want to do things I've never done before! If you would only just wait and see..."

"-So this is it, huh."

It's a whisper only to myself, but Misawa must've seen my lips moving. Tilting her head, she asks me something, but I no longer hear her.

This is the end of my relationship with Misawa being mine. My ward. My friend. The girl whom I always thought I would take care of forever wants to be free of me.

"..."

They're talking amongst themselves. Discussing about Guardsman Railgun and the impending battle. Something I committed to despite not knowing even a millimetre about. Was I that stupid?

"-uro. Hey, Duro!"

I've fallen to my knees without knowing it. Apprentice stares down at me while Renascentia looks on from the side.

"C'mon, man. It isn't nice to go back on an agreement. And it's not like I'm forcing you to stay afterwards."

What Apprentice left unspoken - gratefully - was the possibility that only I would be excluded from the group.

"...Fine."

"I'm sorry?"

"I'll do it," I get to my feet, "Just... Just give me some time."

"Splendid." He claps me on the back, "Don't make us feel bad about this too, y'know?"

-_But I already feel thousands of times worse._

That feeling of drowning from earlier this morning assails me again, lingering even after the duel finishes and Acceleration ends.

.

**?, ? / Guardsman Railgun**

I was sipping on my drink at a coffee joint, relaxing in the cool air of the afternoon, when the message arrived.

There is no sender nor picture. The six other recipients' names and addresses are also censored. The subject line is surprisingly long: '_Mitsukihara Middle School BLers_.'

A smile worked its way up to my lips. Mirage Zealot had delivered. Clicking on the mail, four pictures and accompanying descriptions followed:

-_(Luka Extinguisher Level 3) Shokuhou, Nozomi. Age 13. Class 2-A. Hates fire and irresponsible people. Trauma should be related to Tokonosu Fire Incident five years ago._

_-(Klein Apprentice Level 4) Tsuboi, Ryoutarou. Age 14. Class 2-A. Highest-ranked kendoka of his grade. Trauma unknown._

_-(Green Guardian Level 3) Ichijo, Tatesuke. Age 12. Class 1-A. Booksmart. Hates conflict. Trauma unknown, but father listed as murdered three years ago._

_-(Spring Renascentia Level 2) Gekkagawa, Mikiseki. Age 12. Class 1-B. Aspires to be doctor. Native to Hokkaido. Trauma unknown._

Attached was a map of the area in which Mitsukihara Middle School was situated in; it was merely two kilometres away from mine. I looked at the final line of the email:

'_DSG is to gather at XingWang Cafe & Confectionery later, at approx. 1400 hrs. Optimum timing is at 1405 hrs to strike._'

"Alrighty."

**tbc.**

.

Further notes:  
>For once, I don't really have much to say. (: Stay tuned as the two groups come to blows in the next chapter!<p> 


	18. The Decisive Battle

**A/N**: For once, there is no paragraph to lead into this chapter. Everything that needs to be explained will be. Just sit back...for a quick recap of the characters and their respective duel avatars first, if you may.

_._

_CODE NAME:_ KESSEN

_BATTLE PARTICIPANTS: _DEATH STAR GALAXY (DSG) _vs_ THE JOURNALISM CLUB (TJC)

_STAGE: _CEMETERY SAVANNAH

_._

**Circle Leaders:**

DSG: Guardsman Railgun  
>TJC: Klein Apprentice - Ryoutarou Tsuboi<p>

**Circle Deputy Leaders:**

DSG: Mirage Zealot  
>TJC: Luka Extinguisher - Nozomi Shokuhou<p>

**Members:**

DSG:

Danube Lancer

Neon Slicer

Whiskey Asura

Smalt Hunter

Glade Crusher

TJC:

Green Guardian - Tatesuke Ichijo

Spring Renascentia - Mikiseki Gekkagawa

Cul Artillery - Misawa Kitamura

Turquoise Duro - Gunsou Kihara

.

**This is the end.**  
><strong>これは終わり。<strong>

The hot sun blazed in the sky, and all Gunsou could think of was how wrong this day was.

He had been ranked near the bottom of his class in the latest Mathematics test, causing him to be the subject of much gossip and rumours. Then, Ryoutarou and his group had forced out the news from him that he had duelled - and lost - to Guardsman Railgun, the very player they were desperately fending off. Misawa seemed to have joined them too, leaving him very much alone in his failures.

Massaging his aching eyes, Gunsou sighed as he proceeded down the stairs to the locker area. With sloppy movements, he pulled out his shoes and let them fall to the floor, turning them over with his toes before slipping them on. Beyond the doors, he could see five familiar people gathered at the gate: Ryoutarou, Nozomi, Tatesuke, Mikiseki, and Misawa. Their heads were huddled together in discussion again.

Gunsou shuffled up to them with all the enthusiasm of a prisoner walking to the firing squad.

"...inimise the chances of being tracked, we'll split up from here," Ryoutarou was speaking in hushed tones. "Stay close to someone else when you walk out, and turn towards the bus stop. Don't get together too fast. We don't know when they'll strike."

And then Ryoutarou turned to Gunsou. "My apologies for earlier, Gunsou, but the plan still stands. You will stay close to Miki and protect her at all times. Don't leave her until we tell you to. That okay, bro?"

He held up his fist, waiting for a bump in acknowledgement. Gunsou merely blinked twice before slowly touching his knuckles together with Ryoutarou's. Satisfied, the latter nodded at the group and they dispersed, leaving Mikiseki alone together with Gunsou.

They stared at each other briefly before Gunsou broke eye contact, his eyes looking down and turning just a shade redder.

"Mikiseki, I..."

_-I don't want to do this._

"Don't worry. Everything will be okay."

She might have said that with a reassuring smile, but as she turned and tugged Gunsou towards the school main gate, her emotionless eyes seemed to say otherwise. Above, the clouds darkened to a steel gray.

.

**Kihara, Gunsou**

The six of us stepped out of the school gate. A notification appeared in the corner of my vision: [»Now connected to: GLOBAL NET]

Lightning flashed in the sky directly above. The clock in the toolbar read 2.05pm. One moment, I was standing outside the school gate-

_BASHINN!_

And the world turned blue the next.

-Who the heck is it now?!

Is this some test dreamed up by Ryoutarou? Were they just waiting to jump on me all at once the moment we get out of school?

...No. Ryoutarou had said, "We don't know when they'll strike."

Who are 'they?' And why is the stage taking so long to load...?

I blinked several times and pinched my wrist; a queer sensation of hard metal is felt, although my fingers tell me they're touching bare skin.

But why is this stage so dark? I can't even see myself!

"Duro? Where are you?"

Mikiseki's panicked voice rises an octave from somewhere to my right.

"I'm right here to your left, Renascentia."

"Where are we...?"

"The stage loaded, right?"

Ryoutarou's voice suddenly cut through the darkness: "Everyone, calm down now."

Nobody moved in the pitch-black darkness. All I could see was my Health Gauge on the left side, and the right corner - where they enemy's Health Gauges should be - are completely blank.

The clouds above seemed to part, and illuminating moonlight greeted our eyes at last - revealing row after row of **tombstones**.

I sucked in a breath in fear. Dozens of unmarked, identical graves in rows of twenty make up the entire ground in which we've materialised in. A huge, gnarled tree towered over us, dead boughs casting sinister shadows over our group. The full moon shone weakly through a twilight sky, and where it fell upon our clearing, I could see something else moving beyond the graveyard. It was waving about feebly, it looked like... like...?!

"Are those _skeletons!?_" Misawa gasped upon realising what they were. Apprentice narrowed his eyes and audibly clenched his jaw. Green Guardian lifted his huge Tower Shield, tensing up and straightening his back.

"Stay... Stay on your guard, people. I've never seen this stage before."

"And it could become a familiar sight soon enough, eh?"

A voice that belonged to neither Guardian nor Apprentice smoothly parted the silence of the cemetery. Young-sounding like a kid, but it trembled with... No, it was shaking with excitement?

"Well well. Please ta' meet you guys an' gals at last."

From the cover of a fallen tree, a dull yellow avatar stepped out, licking his lips and rubbing his hands.

So many hands! I did a double-take. It wasn't that this avatar's mask was strange-looking, but... I don't know, just what? Because where this avatar's arms began from his shoulders, there was one _more_ arm below both arms, giving this guy four arms in total!

What was more, as he spoke each of his (four) hands moved independently of each other with just as much dexterity and control as someone with two hands. How is that even possible?! How can someone make use of something they don't have in real life, unless... I don't know what!

"Who are you?" Apprentice drew his sword in an instant. "Why did you challenge all of us at once?"

"Aah, sorry 'bout that. Guess it's rude ta' make an appearance without intra'ducing myself. I'm Whiskey Asura and it's my ultimate pleasure to meet you all..."

Whiskey Asura bows low with all his hands mimicking a formal gesture. Something about him gives me the chills, but what?

"And nope, I ain't the one who challenged ya'll. That would be quite the silly thing ta' do, amirite?" Whiskey Asura smiles widely. "Nope, ya' gotta hand it to our Commander and Subcommander for arranging this wonderful opportunity for our fated meeting."

I glanced at the right side corner, hoping to see something, anything; there was none. Only Whiskey Asura's Health Gauge was there above his head when I turn back and look at his freaky four-armed avatar.

"You back the hell off right now, Whiskey Asura!" Luka Extinguisher raised her hand and aimed it straight at Asura, "Get out of my sight!"

"My my, what strong words for someone you've never met, Miss Extinguisher. Why the hate? Shouldn't we at least be given the privilege of being able to introduce ourselves?" Asura chuckled to himself.

If this guy is unknown to Apprentice and Extinguisher, and yet they're so afraid of him, what is that supposed to mean? And why is it that his Health Gauge isn't in the usual place in my screen's upper right corner, but only above his head?

The answer to both questions presented themselves three seconds later.

"Come out then, Cap'n. We might have a little more to do than originally expected, but no trouble. It's just two more newbies."

Dry grass rustled from all around and a single familiar silhouette emerged directly ahead of me. In that moment, my heart must have dropped to my stomach; though the rest of his body was hidden in shadow, his baseball cap and face mask were all too familiar. I just duelled with him yesterday; how could I forget him?

If Guardsman Railgun was surprised to see me, he didn't let it show at all. He merely stood there dispassionately while more guys emerged from all around us. As I turned my head frantically to look, their names, Health, and Special Gauges all appeared individually over their heads too:

Right behind Railgun was a dark blue guy, so dark he almost appeared black. He appeared to be unarmed. His name read 'Mirage Zealot.'

To my left was the aforementioned Whiskey Asura, and to my right, a bright red duel avatar, glowing faintly as though he was luminescent, stood there with a strange gun in hand and a wicked grin on his face. His name explained the glow somewhat: 'Neon Slicer.'

Slowly turning around clockwise, a blue avatar nearly as tall as I was leaned on a weapon I faintly recognised as a spear. This guy's name read 'Danube Lancer.'

And the last two unknown opponents hefted large weapons in their hands: a dark green, heavyset player named 'Glade Crusher' and a small, stocky duel avatar who seemed to only understand the dialect of fists. Smalt Hunter's small, red eyes glared at me, and his hands, almost laughably short, twitched towards a massive greatsword on his back.

_-This is who we're fighting?_ Never before, not even when I was fighting Railgun himself, have I felt so weak and powerless in comparison. The battle hasn't even begun, but these guys clearly have fighting power and experience beyond my imagination. Reflexively, I gulp in fear and anxiety.

The standoff lasted for only a few seconds, but it feels like eternity. Whether he was unable to take it anymore, or simply decided to make a move, I will never know. Apprentice took a defiant step forwards towards Railgun:

"So. You're here."

"Damn right you are." Guardsman Railgun tapped the edge of his baseball cap. "I'm here and today, you're all getting creamed."

"How'd you find us?"

"Oh? You didn't hear those rumours?" Railgun leaned in and cocked his head to the side. "Y'know, the one about Burst Linkers disappearing after they duelled a particular somebody?"

"That's your work, I believe." Apprentice growled, never allowing his sword to waver from his initial position.

"Nope. That's actually just one of you who led us straight to you... Mister Tsuboi."

The wooden sword trembles as its owner sucked in a breath. "How... How?!"

"Don't look at me. Ask your girlfriend over there," Railgun callously pointed, "Nozomi, I believe."

Extinguisher abandoned all restraint and lunges at Railgun at this; only Apprentice and Guardian grabbing her at the last second stood between her and certain death.

"What?! How the heck did you find that out!" She shrieked.

"You've all been «Indicted», that's what." Railgun stated as though it was the most obvious fact in the world.

"You see my buddy Zealot? - He gestures at the dark blue avatar, standing silently in the shadows. - He's the one doing the dirtiest work I've ever seen, and he has my appreciation for that. Since I've gotten all your real names, addresses, ID and such, I guess it's time to return the favour with some information of our own."

He paused. "Zealot's sword ain't no ordinary sword. It's the Enhanced Armament «Judicator». The moment he touches you with it, if he wants to, he'll mark you as his. Even when the duel is over, he knows when and where you last Accelerated to use Brain Burst."

"With all these Social Security Cameras around, he can determine who was standing at that very spot when we duelled. And through some kind 'o magic he pulls outta his butthole, he hacks into your 'unhackable' Neuro Linkers, and pulls all that information like candy from a baby."

"So if you really wanna blame somebody for giving away your personal info, blame Miss Pinky over there. It's thanks to her that we've got your addresses, names of parents, phone numbers, a whole lotta stuff that I really would have to kill you over. If we can't finish this today, we'll follow you home and wrap up our shit there. As long as we like, as much as we like."

"..."

The revelation is astounding. I might not have understood everything, but his last phrase stands out: Railgun has the ability to track us to our home. Even that sanctuary where Misawa and I grew up is within his reach. We're no longer safe from that guy and his goons.

"I'm gonna make you a proposition, Spring Renascentia," Railgun turned and spoke to Mikiseki directly. "You know as well as I do that it's an offer you can't refuse."

"Join our group, and you'll gain our protection, our trust, our friendship. We may not look like the best bunch 'round town, but we're the strongest. Nobody hits on our turf nowadays, unlike your little circle that has to fight daily to cling on to your school area."

"Shu...Shut up!"

Apprentice's shout echoed emptily around the graveyard. Was that true? Were they having that hard a time in the game?

Mikiseki simply shook her head. "Thanks for your request, but no. I think you know that these are my _real_ friends, so-"

Abruptly, she hooked her arm around mine and tugged me closer. "I'll never abandon them willingly! I will stand by their side forever!"

"-Please, take care of me. I'm all yours." Mikiseki whispered to me softly.

Guardsman Railgun's only reply is an unreadable nod of his head. He pulled his baseball cap lower still.

"Go."

_ZIING!_

A powerful flash of red light, bright as the sun itself, cut right down the middle of our group. In the eerie red light it casts, I locked eyes with Cul Artillery for a split second-

_WHAM!_

"Argh!" Green Guardian took the brunt of the blow, lifting his entire body up and into a huge gnarled tree!

"Ughh..."

"G-Guardian!" Renascentia squeaked.

"I'm fine, don't worry," He said, "Nothing I can't walk away from- wait, what?"

Guardian attempted to sit up, only to find that his hand was now suddenly wrapped in a thick branch.

"Holy-" Apprentice visibly recoiled. "Get out now! Now!"

"I'm trying!" Guardian yelled. "But- Frick! I'm stuck!"

Taking on a life of their own, those _things_ creeped over and under Guardian's struggling body, slowly but surely tying him down.

"GO!" He pleaded. "Run for it!"

Nobody needs telling twice. Renascentia grabbed my arm and pulls me into the darkness.

.

Railgun looked on at the chaos unfolding before him, a bored expression on his face. Watching Duro and Renascentia escaping to the right, Apprentice and Extinguisher splitting up, the last new player, Cul Artillery, shooting him a glare until she too ran away into the woods, he took it all in and adjusted the gears turning in his head.

Turquoise Duro and Cul Artillery, both unknowns who have joined the group late enough for Mirage Zealot to not know about them. Duro, he knew enough about him: he was a mook, but a strong and fast mook. The reason for pairing him together with Renascentia is obvious.

Cul Artillery, however, is definitely the more dangerous of the two. It's hard to tell colours apart in the «Cemetery Savannah» stage, but she was clearly a bright red colour. And 'artillery' most definitely implied that she possesses powerful, long-range, indirect firepower.

Interesting as this was, first things first. Take care of the knowns.

"Slicer, block off the end of the street."

"Hunter and Crusher." Go bring back Renascentia in one piece. Duro isn't much to worry about."

"Extinguisher is all yours, Zealot. Get Lancer to assist you if you need."

"Hey boss, any way I can help out?" Whiskey Asura put two of his hands together. "It's kinda boring if I just stayed here..."

"Sure. Come with me." Railgun bent down to pick up a piece of bone, still bleached white under the moonlight. A quick snap broke it into two sharp fragments, perfect for throwing.

"We're going to hunt Apprentice down."

.

Duro bashed through the fiftieth (or it felt like it, at least) tree in their way when-

"Oof!"

Something wrapped its fingers around his ankle, pulling him face-first into soft ground!

"Ugh! What the heck is this?!"

Flipping around, Duro immediately saw the problem: a pair of waving skeletal arms, sticking out from the ground, one of which had latched on to his foot and was trying to shorten his life prematurely.

"Not today, no!"

Lashing out with his foot furiously, Duro kicked at the mass of rotting tendons and bone, but the _thing_ possessed an unnaturally tenacious grip and refused to let go. Twisting around, Duro screamed in frustration as he tried to uproot the nefarious hand from wherever it came from-

And instantly wished he hadn't when the rest of the skeleton materialised from the earth. Withered and crumbling from the waist down, its empty skull leered closer, its jaw snapping with one tendon remaining. Wide-eyed, Duro barely registered the slim Health Gauge and name that appeared in his vision above it: «Decomposing Remains».

"You're- dead- and- you- should- stay- dead!" Duro yelled. Scrambling backwards as much as he could, Duro embedded his toe into the creature's skull (or where it should be had the thing been alive), shattering the monstrosity's head into a dozen shards.

The now-headless enemy roamed with outstretched hands, but fortunately it was stumbling away from Duro. His heart hammering a tattoo against his chest, he leaned heavily against a dead tree trunk.

His thoughts turned to the girl he was running together with. "Renascentia, where are you-"

He never finished. From some ten metres away, a young man's voice screamed:

"TIMBEEEERRRR!"

Again, Duro was forced to dive to the side before the tree collapsed on him with an earthshaking _BOOM!_ The resulting dust cloud make him choke and cough out bits of dirt, but it also masked the footsteps of the wannabe woodcutter:

"So, you're the new guy? Lol, you don't even have a weapon."

Said speaker was a massive dark green fighter wielding a grossly oversized hammer in one hand. True to his namesake, Glade Crusher seemed to have closed the distance between himself and Duro the only way he could: by flattening each and every tree standing between himself and his quarry into little more than a pile of matchsticks.

Duro got to his feet. "I didn't even have one. Though if you're kind enough to surrender right now and hand that hammer over, I'd be very pleased."

Crusher just laughed, the kind you hear from a bully cornering a new kid in the playground. "But of course! Everything can be solved when you ask for it politely!"

Duro had just raised his fist into a ready position when-

_CRASH._

All the wind was knocked out of him as the _other_ guy, unnoticed by Duro, had a running start from which to launch himself into his unprotected flank. Duro blinked furiously and spat dirt out of his mouth again; raised high above him was a huge sword wrapped in a blue glow, poised to part his head from body in a single blow-!

"UWOOAH!"

Smalt Hunter slashed down with all his strength. Only a life-saving roll to the side kept Duro alive, and when he got to his feet, he found that the massive sword had buried itself halfway into the ground.

"Well, shite! Not again!"

Now, _both_ Crusher and Duro looked on in disbelief as Smalt Hunter hurled curses freely and tried in vain to pull his sword out.

"Need a hand?!"

Smalt Hunter looked up just in time to see Duro's blue-green fist thrusting at him like a bullet. With a satisfying _CRUNCH_, Duro knocked Hunter back into a patch of compost - the very same patch, incidentally, where Duro had spotted a skeletal arm waving around mere moments earlier.

"Oh, you sonova-!"

Five or so arms quickly emerged from the pile and ensnared their new quarry. Twisting violently, Hunter did his best to free himself, but the more he thrashed, the deeper he sunk.

Duro grinned darkly and grasped the handle of Hunter's greatsword. Holding it close to his chest, he sucked in a breath and heaved - and the sword came free with a metallic _SHIING_!

"So you think anybody can just pick up an EA and use it like that, eh?"

Glade Crusher snapped back into action and raised his hammer above his shoulder.

"Let's see how you like this! «Earthquake»!"

Five metres away from Crusher, Duro was too far to do anything, and could only watch as Crusher brought his hammer down unto the ground-

_BOOM!_

"Ahh!" The shockwave knocked Duro to the ground, and at the same time, an unpleasant tingling from his legs assailed his senses. Crawling, Duro tried to stand up using the sword as a crutch, only to fail as his feet gave way from under him!

"Why can't I stand?!"

Crusher's only answer was a low chuckle. "Lemme sculpt you down to size now, newbie!"

With all the ease of a predator, Crusher hopped over in a single bound, hammer raised high. His feet refused to respond to him, so Duro had no choice but to raise Hunter's sword to block:

_CLANG!_

"Ow!" Feeling as though his arms have been pulverised, Duro dropped the stolen weapon, which allowed Crusher to grab his neck one-handedly and throw him against a sinisterly bent tree.

-Oh no, not this again!

The image of Guardian being bound by the zombie tree surges afresh to the front of his mind. Adrenaline gives Duro the push to stand up and clear the tree before a rogue root can reel him in- but the paralysis from Crusher's Earthquake keels him over before he can take another step.

-Wait.

Duro, once again, is unarmed and immobile. But if he could just use that tree, capable of trapping even Green Guardian, to his advantage...

Crusher bent low and charged right at Duro, fully intending to turn him into a splatter of blue-green paste in his next hit. He knows he has just the one chance, and if he messes up, Renascentia will be next-

"UWOOHH!"

"Now!"

Pushing with his arms, Duro flipped his body around on his butt, bringing his useless legs to bear. Crusher raised his hammer high, and Duro kicked out with all his hopes pinned on this one hit:

"Wah?!"

Crusher's hammer swings down squarely onto Duro's left foot, and it exploded with pain, making Duro cry out. But his right foot comes into solid contact with Crusher's abdomen; changing his momentum and lifting Crusher off his feet, introducing to him flight without an engine for a brief second-

_CRASH._

-and Crusher landed in the grasp of the undead tree, which wasted no time encasing Glade Crusher in an above-ground burial of roots.

"No! Lemme go! ^$* ^*#&#%^#"

Fortunately, a tree root gagged and cut off the rest of Crusher's words before he could further expand Duro's growing vocabulary of swearwords. Feeling broken in twenty different places, Duro heaved a sigh of relief and struggled to stand, hoping that the paralysis had finally worn off.

"Hey. Nice fight!"

Duro froze for a second before he remembered that Death Star Galaxy has no girls. Renascentia, having tucked herself away in the hollow of a few (completely dead) trees, had been saving her Special Gauge for this moment.

"Hold still, Duro."

As her hands rest on his shoulders, a shudder ran up Duro's spine. Even though they're technically in the middle of battle, he can't help but remember that this is still Mikiseki laying her hands on him, and the memories of her touch in all its intoxicativeness came to mind.

Perhaps she was aware of that, which is why when Renascentia laid her hand on Duro, her voice audibly lowered in volume in a way you might call 'seductive':

"«Paramedical»."

"Uuhh..."

An intense green glow burst forth from her hands, and Duro really couldn't help but groan: multiple sensations sprang forth from where her hands touched to each part of his duel avatar that had been visibly damaged in battle. Soaking in a hot bath, drinking warm soup, relaxing in bed; all these day-to-day pleasures were felt as though they were actually happening, and not merely a conscious recollection.

"So... Good..." he groaned.

Duro's Health Gauge rose from seventy percent to full, shining brightly in the darkness of the stage like a beacon. The glow from Renascentia's hands faded, but she didn't move her hands away.

"Ahh..."

"It's done. Thanks for your hard work, Duro!"

His eyelids half-closed in delirium, Duro turned back to look up at Renascentia.

Has she ever looked this beautiful under the moonlight? The soft, assuring green colour of her perfectly proportioned cheeks, the gentle curve of her eyes, the softness of her fingers as she stroked his face-

"What are you two been doing?!"

Running at full tilt through the forest, a bright red avatar chose this moment to burst out from her flight and drop right into the atmosphere; Cul Artillery, breathing hard with pistol in hand, glared at the couple. At least Duro had the sense of mind to spring apart at that very moment, but Renascentia tried to reach out with her hands once more.

"Get away from him!"

_BANG._

One warning shot and Artillery's expression was all the signal needed for Renascentia to scurry away from Duro. "That's not very polite of you!" She yelled.

"He's doing his job, that's all! Nothing to get jealous about!" Renascentia fired back.

"There's no need to get that close either!"

"What is your problem?!"

Duro looked back and forth between the two quarreling girls, his hesitation only serving to escalate the conflict between them. The sound of muted footsteps reached his ears just as Artillery aimed her pistol directly at Renascentia-

"EMPLACE-"

"Get down!" Duro cut her off mid-word and lept forward, picking up the fallen greatsword. At the same time, a bluish blur burst out from the trees, brandishing a weapon aimed directly at Duro's heart:

_CLANG!_

Danube Lancer's strike, instead of piercing his chest, was deflected to the side and grazed Duro's right arm, shaving off a fraction of his newly-recovered Health. His eyes widened in shock for the briefest instant, but he recovered quickly and held his spear up, ready to strike again. Duro stood his ground, likewise, and stole a glance behind:

The two bickering girls, ready to tear out the other's throat mere moments ago, were gone. He was all alone again with nothing but a stolen weapon between him and an experienced spear user.

"It's just you and I, Duro. Look at me!"

Lancer's youthful voice filled the small clearing in which they faced each other down. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, the tip of Lancer's spear traced a pattern in the air as he spoke, betraying an itch in Lancer's hands to carve a signature into Duro's face. Duro narrowed his eyes and stepped back to gain ground, watching out of the corner of his eyes for anything, _anybody_-

"Hyah!"

Lancer struck straight and true, the spearhead flying forwards at a terrifying speed. Duro had barely a second to deflect the hit, but no sooner had he begun to move his sword than Lancer withdrew his spear- and struck again! A flurry of stabs and lackluster blocks ensued, until the spear's business end made a clean, solid hit and buried itself in a crack in Duro's chestplate; the feeling not unlike being stabbed with a box cutter!

"Augh!"

More out of instinct than anything, Duro twisted to the side, one hand grasping the spear in an attempt to extract the offending thing. The outcome, therefore, stunned Duro when he ended up jerking the spear out of Lancer's grip, and now armed with not one, but _two_ stolen weapons!

"Hey! That's mine!"

Duro saw little reason to return such a dangerously skilled owner his weapon and tossed it into the waiting darkness. Lancer's eyes followed it as far as he could see, looked back at Duro, and swore loudly.

"Well, if it'll please you, how about I throw away this sword too, and then we'll be even-" Duro began.

"«Fist of Phalanx»!"

A reddish light enveloped Lancer's fist as he charged. By the time Duro realised it, the unarmed blue avatar already closed the distance between them and struck:

_CRUNCH!_

Sinking his fist deeply into Duro's gut, Lancer triumphantly lifted him up off the ground in one blow and grasped him by the neck. Duro choked and struggled for air that couldn't reach him, his vision was surely blacking out and dots were appearing in its center-

A pair of fresh, light green hands appeared, wrapping themselves around Lancer's armoured chest and waist.

"«CLEAR»!"

"Wha- ARGH!"

_BZzZzT!_ Lightning sprang from Renascentia's hands, arcing beautiful curves over and under Lancer's body and leaving charcoal scorch marks in their wake. Dropping Duro to the ground, Lancer clutched at his devastated chest as he sank to the ground, his Health Gauge reduced to half and a tiny yellow icon with a lightning bolt appeared besides it: «PARALYSED».

"Th..Thanks!"

Making sure Renascentia had backed off far enough, Duro picked up his dropped sword. The unfamiliar weight strained his wrist as he raised it above his head.

"Please... No..."

The low moan from Lancer stopped Duro in his tracks for the briefest instant.

_*schick*_

An awful, wet sound. Hot, blazing pain. His spine itself burned and ignited his very soul-

"AHH!"

Duro looked down in time to see the point of a black blade disappear back into his body. With a eerie metallic _shing!_ sound, Mirage Zealot extracted his sword and stepped out from the cover of a gnarled tree.

"Ughh..."

Renascentia stood rooted to the spot, her eyes as large as saucers, while Duro struggled to stand and bring Hunter's sword to bear. Zealot looked on expressionlessly at his adversaries and said nothing. Finally managing to get on his two feet unassisted, Duro gritted his teeth and placed himself between Mirage Zealot and Renascentia, fighting the urge to keel over from the pain.

"Amateur."

Had Zealot not moved his mouth, Duro may well have mistook it for the tree speaking. His voice was low, _so_ low, and tinged dark with hate. The black sword flicked upwards in the blink of an eye.

"Be judged."

Tired, anxious, and nerves firing on high alert with his pain, Duro had neither the self-control nor the patience to wait for Zealot to strike. Swinging the heavy sword with both hands, he yelled something in the general likeness of a curse and attacked.

Mirage Zealot smoothly ducked, rolled forwards, and thrusted in a single fluid motion. Again, his sword found and penetrated a single point that wasn't shielded by blue-green armour. Duro screamed again.

"You-!"

Fighting Crusher, Hunter, and Lancer was nothing compared to Zealot. Where the trio had basically thrown themselves at Duro and hoped for the best, Zealot timed his dodges and counters in a way one could only call 'refined.' While Duro swung his unfamiliar sword uselessly and constantly missed, Zealot instead slashed and cut one-handedly with surgical precision and drew blood every single time.

The disparity was obvious, and soon Duro was down to 40% Health, in very bad shape, and lay flat on his back while Zealot was more-or-less unharmed. For all of Duro's efforts, all he had to show for it was a single nick on Zealot's right forearm, a flaw in his otherwise dark blue armour that seemed to melt into the shadow itself.

Raising the «Judicator» high, Zealot's full Special Gauge depleted. A black-blue light lit up the blade from within and instilled pure terror in Duro's heart.

-_Is this...the end?_ He thought numbly.

"-«Emplace Gun»."

A soft whisper, far away, reached his ears. The ground quaked, but Zealot, pre-occupied with marking his next victim, failed to notice.

-_Who's voice is that_-

"Gun One, FIRE!"

Dead leaves and dirt scattered in the wake of the supersonic shell; a hole opened up magnificently in Zealot's chest and he was blasted back.

Footsteps drew closer. Unable to fight the pain, Duro simply closed his eyes and let the warmth wash over him.

.

"...«amedical»."

Duro came to with the most heavenly sensations he had ever experienced, even in reality. Only the sight of Renascentia's calm eyes, reminded him that this was still a game.

"Ahh..."

"Tch. It feels good, huh?"

Misawa - Cul Artillery's voice, furrowed with annoyance, reached his ears and pulled him firmly to earth. Blinking, Duro realised he was no longer lying on the ground, but instead had been propped up against a tree. A distance away, Hunter's prized greatsword lay shattered in pieces; how, and when it had been destroyed, Duro could not recall. The constant battling had grinded away his memory.

His Health recovered to a respectable sixty percent, Duro nodded at Renascentia and she let go, drawing herself back to a standing position.

"We... We should rejoin the others." She suggested, "Hopefully, we can draw with Galaxy with so many of their people down..."

Artillery nodded in agreement and stowed her pistol. "C'mon, let's go."

Offering her cherry-red hand to Duro, she motioned at him to come along. His mind temporarily blank, Duro gazed up at her green eye lenses.

Artillery clucked her tongue and said, "Get up, idiot. There's still ten minutes left."

Wordlessly, Duro took her hand in his and she pulled him up.

The three of them retraced Artillery's route, reaching the clearing where they had first spawned when the battle had started. Nobody seemed to be there and no Health Gauges appeared as they scanned the clearing.

"Should we try shouting for them or something?" Duro suggested.

Artillery shrugged, and had just opened her mouth when a familiar voice roared-

"CERTAIN DEADLY RAILGUN!"

_BOOM_! An explosion sounded, deafened Duro, and tossed him like a doll ten metres forwards. His mind racing, Duro scrambled to feel all his four limbs, and came to an awful conclusion when he heard her cry.

"...Duro..."

Artillery lay some fifty metres ahead of him, and under the moonlight, her destruction plain to see: her right leg was completely missing along with all of her bright red armour, leaving ugly patches of rusty brown underneath. Bloodred sparks fizzled from her hip and her eyes were half-closed.

"No!"

Renascentia rushed to her side, her hands outstretched and a single phrase on her lips, when two disembodied arms flew out from nowhere, caught her in their grasp, and brought her along for a brief, rocket-powered flight. The two jets at the base of each arm flared brightly with a _FSSSSH_ sound effect as they pinned her to the trunk of a large tree.

But none of that mattered to Duro anymore.

His world had turned grey. Crawling forward on arms that felt like lead, he made it to Cul Artillery's side and his lips formed her name.

-_Misawa_...

"Idiot."

Artillery was literally on her last slivers of Health. Only a thin slice of red separated her from life and death.

"It's just...a game. Go get 'em..." she croaked.

Duro shook his head, unwilling to speak. He wanted to bring her back, he'd give her his Health if he had to-

"Just finish the fight, Gunsou..."

At this point, Artillery eyes - _Misawa's_ eyes - rolled up into her head and her eyelids closed peacefully. Her presence itself seemed to drain from her duel avatar, as though she had gone to sleep.

Yet, Gunsou simply didn't let go and cradled her body, mouthing words that weren't words, thinking thoughts that refused to be said out loud. If a duel avatar could cry, there would be a veritable river pouring from his eyes right now. The simulation of Cul Artillery's blood pooled around his legs and soaked him in their warmth. Little sparkles, glittering like stars, floated to the empty sky, and Duro's gaze followed them upwards. As they twinkled into nothingness, the jumble of thoughts in Gunsou Kihara's mind clambered over one another, fighting for priority over the other until at last, some sense of order was achieved:

-I take it back. I take it all back.

I'm sorry I hurt you

-I love you. I only want the best for you.

There's nothing I wouldn't do if you ask

-These feelings from the bottom of my heart will never change as they have been, since that day.

You moved into our house and I called you 'sis'

-Let me do my duty. Let me make good on my vow to protect you.

I have to be strong I will be strong I will be strong for you

[»YOU GOT A NEW SKILL: SAINT'S FIST]

-!

_CRACK._

Like a gunshot in a sleepy town, Guardsman Railgun watched impassively as Asura drove the point of a certain wooden sword into the tree, right next to Renascentia's head. Held up by her hands with two of Whiskey Asura's detached hands holding her in place, the reference created by her postion was obvious, but it didn't matter to him.

Klein Apprentice was no trouble. With a good stroke of luck, Neon Slicer had knocked his sword away, allowing Whiskey Asura to pin him with «Rocketing Limbs». They'd then tossed him into one of the stage traps and left him to die.

Luka Extinguisher had been put down in a brilliant display of teamwork by Mirage Zealot and Danube Lancer. Zealot accumulated Special Gauge by killing the Stage's enemies while Lancer kept her busy with spearwork. One shank in her back was all it took to incapacitate and decapitate her.

A half-power Railgun shot to Guardian's unprotected face had wiped out what remaining Health the tree couldn't take from him. Unfortunately, among Railgun, Slicer, and Asura, none of them had the strength nor ability to carry his monolithic «Tower Shield», so they left it as it was.

Glade Crusher, Smalt Hunter, Mirage Zealot, and Danube Lancer were nowhere to be found, but it didn't matter to Railgun. After firing another half-power shot to take out Cul Artillery, he figured Whiskey Asura and Neon Slicer could take down Turquoise Duro while he negotiated with Spring Renascentia. 'Negotiating,' in his dictionary, would mean offering her the choice of living or dying, and outright uninstalling Brain Burst should the latter choice be favoured.

Of course, Renascentia had to stop crying first, which is why he decided to shock her and drive home his point in the punniest way possible.

"So," he said, "Which is it? Your friends are strong, but they can't work together. Look at us- look at my _team_ - he spread his arms wide to gesture at Asura and Slicer - we work _together_. None of us are weak when we play to our strengths."

"You're strong, girl. If you join us, we will be the strongest crew that Accelerated World will ever see. Discover yourself, make new friends, do whatever you like! Only with our teamwork can you have the freedom to do all this. I promise you."

The girl sniffed and hung her head, unwilling to respond- then opened her mouth and said something Railgun never expected:

"Let me down, please."

Blinking, Railgun nevertheless snapped his fingers to get Asura's attention. Asura concentrated; a split second later, his arms let go of Renascentia, letting her collapse to the ground, while they floated back to their owner and reattached themselves with the grace of a ghost.

"Ah, that's betta'," Asura remarked to nobody in particular.

Renascentia heaved a sigh. This close, Railgun realised that Renascentia stood merely a head shorter than him.

"I..." she coughed, and continued. "I... formally accept your offer."

If Railgun had wings, he would have flapped his way up and pump his fist in delight! Controlling his smile, he nodded and stepped forwards, his hand outstretched. "A good decision, Renascentia. Let's work together-"

_CRACK_!

Neon Slicer jumped at the sound, echoing around the clearing. It wasn't natural-sounding; not like when Apprentice's sword had skewered the tree, this sounded more metallic and-

_CRACK_! A low groan reached his ears, and he identified it somewhat as a groan of discomfort- no, a cry of _pain._

"Err...Cap'n?" Whiskey Asura pointed a shaking finger. "It ain't us, but look o'er there..."

Further away at the edge of the clearing, Railgun spotted Turquoise Duro's kneeling form. He was carrying the girl in red, Cul Artillery, in his arms, seemingly murmuring something. Suddenly, a silver mercurial liquid gushed from his arms and encased Artillery in a matter of seconds; but it was soundless. The _cracks_ had clearly come from Duro, but what?

_CRACK!_

And now he saw _it_: one of the bluish-green armour plates on his back seemed to fracture into two, smaller pieces. Now that he was aware of it, many small points of blue light seemed to be running _under_ Duro's armour, pulsing and blinking like a heartbeat.

"Ah..Ahh...Ahh!"

_Crackcrackcrackcrack_! Forced to his feet in pain, Duro arched his back and stretched his arms, where the armour plating likewise glowed and made tessellations of themselves.

"...!"

A single, silent scream from his mouth. Then- Turquoise Duro exploded.

No, that was wrong! His armour seemed to take on a scale-like texture, then reformed and settled into their original shape, and then broke up _again_. No piece was smaller than his palm, and yet they travelled freely up and down his body and joined with a dozen other plates to form a single, coherent shape. The process repeated itself, faster and faster, until Railgun had no idea what was happening anymore.

"Asura. What the hell is going on?" he demanded.

"No way," the yellowish avatar breathed. "That... Now, why?"

"Explain," Railgun practically screamed, "I want to know!"

"You remember playing those old-school MMO games?" Neon Slicer spoke up, just as unnerved as Railgun was. "Where you didn't always learn skills by levelling up?"

"Yeah, so?"

"That's what's happening now," Slicer said shakily, "Like sometimes, you just happen to learn a skill in the middle of a battle...**that guy is finding his own new skill right now.**

-_But new skills can only be learnt when Levelling Up!_ Railgun screamed inwardly at the unfairness of it.

"Asura. Slicer. Put him down for good." Railgun said, barely controlling his irritation. "And you - he swung around and aimed his railgun at Renascentia's chest - don't try anything funny with my back turned."

Her eyes blinked and she lowered her head in submission. Railgun turned around-

Turquoise Duro had recovered and was staring at him too. Yellow eyes, devoid of emotion, stared emptily at him. As though seeing _through_ him.

Railgun shuddered involuntarily.

"Come here, buddy! Let's take this guy out!" Waving his weapon in the air, Neon Slicer put on a brave front and charged with Whiskey Asura in tow. In a two-on-one battle, and Slicer and Asura possessing ranged skills against a close-range fighter, this battle should be quick and painless.

"«Range Cut»!" Slicer cried. His weapon glowed brilliant orange and spat a bolt of fire, flying straight and true- until Duro raised a fist and _punched_ back, rebounding towards-

"OWW!"

Whiskey Asura clutched at his melting chest, smoke stirring from where the bolt had hit. Dumbfounded, Slicer lowered his weapon and saw Duro's absurdly large fist and the scorch mark on his knuckles.

And then _the armour reverted_. Breaking down into individual small plates, a dozen pieces of armour scuttled over Duro's outstretched arm and reformed the sections where they had come from: his shoulder, upper arm, and chest.

"Uggh! Asura, watch out, this guy's new skill is-" Slicer stopped mid-word, unable to think of a suitable description.

"«Rocketing Limbs»!"

Activating his Special Move, Whiskey Asura fired all four of his arms and sent them screaming for Duro. He stood there motionless, or at least until his shoulder pauldrons broke down again, and twenty pieces of armour rushed forwards to his hands-

_CLANG_!

In a single action, Duro plucked two arms out of the air, blocked the other two, and forced them to terra firma. The jets deactivated the moment they touched the stage, which allowed Duro to raise one foot up - massively enlarged with plates from his chest, abdomen, and thighs - and crush them with a single step.

"No... way..."

Even if Whiskey Asura's arms were weakly armoured, they still hadn't shattered when Railgun had accidentally fired low-power shots upon Asura and Klein Apprentice earlier, and several times at that. Turquoise Duro had destroyed all four of them in _one_ blow.

Calmly walking towards Neon Slicer, thick roots crumpled underneath his steps. The plates quickly retracted back to their original positions as Duro closed in on Neon Slicer, bound by nothing but his own fear.

"No... No!"

_CRUNCH_! A single uppercut, reinforced by seven extra plates, was all it took to part Slicer's head from his body.

"Th..Th..Those who run, live to fight another day! Bye Cap'n!"

Whiskey Asura turned tail and disappeared into the woods, as he rightfully should when presented with superior strength. Turquoise Duro turned towards Guardsman Railgun.

"Tch! I knew you were a dangerous bitch!"

-No choice now. I have to use that trump card!

With fast, practiced motions, Railgun opened his Item Storage. Selected an option and confirmed his choice. A bright green bottle of pills flashed for a second in midair and faded out; Guardsman Railgun's empty Special Gauge instantly filled to the brim in a split second!

"That thing cost me a hundred Burst Points! «Certain Deadly Railgu-»"

"«CLEAR»!" Renascentia screamed.

Blue lightning flashed and mingled with Railgun's screams of agony.

The battle wasn't quite over yet: Railgun's Health remained at thirty percent. Drawing his knees up to his chest and whimpering in pain, his baseball cap had come off and revealed his otherwise plain head.

"-Normal Move, «Defibrillator»." Renascentia stated. "The most damage is when I place my hands besides your heart, but..."

"Go **** yourself."

Duro stared in disbelief as Railgun cursed them, among other things, to wish they'd never be born the next time they met.

Armour split apart and gathered at his fist. This new skill of his needed neither voice commands nor Special Gauge to operate; it simply did as he thought. He would need to check his movelist later, wouldn't he?

"Duro? Please do him the honour."

Railgun looked up at his executioner clad in reliable blue armour. "'Turquoise Duro,' huh. I'll remember your name."

_CRUNCH!_

A single, emotionless strike.

**[YOU WIN!]**

**tbc.**


	19. Epilogue

**I don't know a millimetre about Accel World!**  
><strong>加速世界にミリ知らない<strong>

.

Lightning far, far away flared and died out. Electric vehicles rolled down the roads at a controlled speed of 20 km/h. The youthful security guard supervised the schoolchildren of Mitsukihara Middle School as they filed out in an orderly manner out of the gate and into fifty different directions.

His eyes rested for a second on a boy and a girl who seemed to have stopped in place for a second or two, but then a passing bus purred by and his eyes flicked over to the guady advertisement on its side.

The girl stiffened and seemed to snap out of a trance. She turned her head to look at the boy besides her, who sported closely cut hair and the usual blank expression of a first-year schoolboy-

No, what would give the game away in a heartbeat, had the guard been looking, was Gunsou's tightly clenched fist. The very same hand that had ended Guardsman Railgun's life mere milliseconds ago in a virtual reality game.

Grasping his arm and tugging him urgently forwards, Mikiseki fought the desperate urge to look around for _them_: the members of Death Star Galaxy, her friends from the Journalism Club, anybody who displays the telltale signs of just completing Acceleration. When thirty minutes pass in the span of 1.8 seconds in reality, most Burst Linkers often forget what they were doing at that point in time, resulting in the classic expression of disorientation and sometimes, shock.

Mikiseki's top priority was to leave this area, and whatever trap that DSG had set up for them. Her real identity was in the open now; anything could happen!

Then Gunsou stopped walking.

"Come _on_, we have to go!" She tugged his arm harder and urged. A few students stared as they walked past and her heart tripped over itself.

Gunsou stared back with empty black eyes. "Where are you taking me?"

"Anywhere but here," she hissed, "Trust me, we need to go now-"

"You're turning me into a _killer_," Gunsou's voice jumped an octave, "Why should I follow you anymore?"

"Gunsou-"

"NO!"

Flinging his arms apart violently, he pushed her away and stumbled backwards. Gunsou recovered his balance, but the sleight of hand he pulled by bring his sleeve across his face only made it obvious to Mikiseki. It was painfully obvious he was in tears.

"Don't look for me!" He cried, "It's over!"

A dozen students stared slack-jawed as Gunsou turned around and dashed off with incredible speed, leaving a speechless Mikiseki behind. As rain clouds gathered overhead, a red-hair girl blinked twice, slowly nodded her head, and walked calmly to the bus stop. She spoke to no one.

.

Misawa didn't speak to Gunsou when she reached home either. Truth be told, she felt that she needed to talk to Gunsou _more_ than he needed her; although her last moments of that catastrophe of a 'battle' were of agonising pain, the actions and words of Turquoise Duro were forever imprinted in her mind, replaying themselves over and over again while she searched for meaning in it:

_-His yellow eyes plainly were leaking tears. In his grasp, he trembled so hard, and yet his grip was strong. A mouth seemingly incapable of speaking opened and closed as though willing her to lip-read._

_-Her world had turned black, but her ears weren't ringing so badly. From somewhere high above her, a familiar, reliable voice had uttered something beyond her wildest dreams:_

-'I love you.'

_-From the end of a long tunnel, his feelings, appearing as a warm, reliable light, reached out and touched her heart. A thousand words passed through her in a single second and left not a single trace of doubt about the way Gunsou felt for her._

It was strange, she wondered, why it had taken him so long to acknowledge it. Was it a guy thing to be silent about their feelings? Was Gunsou embarrassed to openly say he loved her?

Wasn't the real question, therefore, whether Misawa could be brave enough and reciprocate the honest feelings of the boy whom she has come to see as her brother?

Misawa hated to admit it, but she was scared. And such fears were precisely what sent her running for the sanctuary Gunsou had made for her, keeping her safe from the minutiae of the world. It wasn't just jealousy she had felt when she saw and heard Gunsou going out with Mikiseki, but a very real fear that she would have to lose something precious.

_ding~_

Caught up in her thoughts, Misawa awoke with a start and realised it was nearly midnight, and she was still in her uniform. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she got up and crept to the bathroom, hoping to not wake Gunsou up. She slid the door open, and-

Gunsou stood with his back to her, his head hung over the sink. The skin of his right hand was red, _far_ redder than any normal colour. The soft squeak of the door seemed to snap him out of his stupor; Gunsou's eyes darted from side to side with life. They looked up into the mirror and saw Misawa standing there, her jaw falling to the floor-

"Wha- What are you doing?!"

Gunsou's eyes widened in shock, and in the blink of an eye, turned around to face Misawa and hid his scalded hand innocently behind his back.

"S-Sorry! I should have switched on the light..."

Naturally, Gunsou was the first to break the silence. Holding her breath, Misawa turned her head around and took a peep with her eyes: Gunsou hadn't moved from his current state.

_-I can't do this! But..._

The internal tug-of-war rooted Misawa to the spot for the better half of a minute. Not knowing what else to say, Gunsou stuttered with a few half-hearted explanations and eventually fell silent.

The tiniest sliver of courage entered Misawa's heart.

"You... You..."

-Why am I beating around the bush!?

And before she could stop herself, Misawa burst out, "Why are you hurting yourself?"

From what she could see from the slump of his shoulders, she feared she had been too harsh. Gunsou sighed explosively and lowered his head:

"I deserve it, don't I?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've... I've _killed_," he said, holding up his ruddy hand and stretching the tortured skin, "Even though it's Brain Burst... It felt so real! You know it, don't you?"

_But Mirage Zealot was different_, Misawa reasoned to herself. She fired her weapon knowing she would save Gunsou from a killing blow.

"I just want to take responsibility," Gunsou whispered, "It just feels right, this way-"

"You're wrong."

Misawa walked up behind Gunsou and took ahold of his scalded hand. "Blaming yourself like this is the wrong kind of responsibility," she said, "Because you...you..."

-I can't say it!

"I what?"

Lifting his head, Misawa realised Gunsou's eyes were just as red as his hand. Dried tear tracks on his cheeks were visible in the soft light of the bathroom.

"You were... You were strong. You _are_ strong. And today, you used that strength to help me."

A lump formed in Misawa's throat as she looked Gunsou straight in the eye.

"I think that was really brave of you, brother."

Gunsou thought his ears had deceived him for a second. Did Misawa just call him her brother? _Nii-san_? Perhaps she had merely stumbled over a word or two-

"Well, say something!"

Misawa blushed apple-red as she glanced away for a second. "Am I supposed to say everything? That's not fair, isn't it?"

"Well..."

Awkward silence settled comfortably in between the two young teenagers. _Too comfortable,_ Gunsou thought. _If I don't say anything, it'll just be business as usual. And that isn't what I really want... is it?_

Finding himself at an utter loss of words to express himself, Gunsou sucked in a breath of courage and wiped his remaining tears. Then, as Misawa looked at him bemusedly, he took a step forwards to close the distance between them- and gently, slowly, brought Misawa into a hug.

She wasn't fully prepared and stiffened unfamiliarly. Biting his lip, it took all of Gunsou's willpower and conviction in his feelings to not release her immediately. If Brain Burst was going to take her away from him, then at least he should let her know this.

He needed her to see that she was precious to him. She is and always will be someone who grew up with him, shaped his life, and gave him meaning. While other kids had looked forwards to games and television shows with their friends when they finished school, Gunsou had looked forward to cooking for Misawa while she did her homework.

At some point in time, Gunsou had shut his eyes, which had filled with more tears, streamed down, and wet Misawa's uniform. But a pleasant warmth, too, had encircled Gunsou's waist and back: Misawa's slender arms held him close, her hair gently tickling his neck and head.

"..."

Finally, Gunsou understood something about reality and its virtual counterpart: that the distance between two people in either reality is no different from the other. All that matters is if they dared close the distance, reach out to their loved one and conveyed their feelings.

_So that's what Misawa meant by doing more with Brain Burst, was it?_

Gunsou and Misawa made no mention of Brain Burst any more that night.

.

**Kihara, Gunsou**

My life after that day picked up considerably.

Mikiseki apologized to me in private, formally inviting me to join The Journalism Club. But...activities in the Track & Field team burn a _lot_ of my weekday evenings, so I had to politely decline. Nevertheless, when Ryoutarou expressed his gratitude for my assistance, I accepted it without hesitation.

I continue to see Guardsman Railgun's name on the Matching List every now and then. But I steer clear of his name and duel once every two or three days, or maybe if I'm particularly bored. Every match made the day longer by thirty minutes or so, and I found out - the hard way - that my body clock goes haywire after two or three duels. It's the perception of time being the same whether I'm Accelerated or not, versus the actual flow of time. It will take time to get used to this.

With a more regular schedule, I managed to recover my class placing by the next test, and brushed off my slip in ranking as 'being occupied with Mikiseki.' The revelation that I and her are no longer an item died down within a week afterwards.

Perhaps the thing that I feel happiest about, however, was when I realized that I'm speaking to Misawa more and more often. It wasn't just about school or our homework, but also a wide range of topics, from accusations that the latest World Cup had been rigged to how fashionable was a particular new model of Neuro Linkers.

My mornings aren't cold anymore. It's got nothing to do with the fact that I bought a new, thicker comforter last week; every morning, I'll wake up earlier than her and find that her hand has somehow made its way up to grasp mine in hers. When I squeeze her hand gently, she'll wake up with a smile as bright as the rising sun itself.

It doesn't just seem so - everything else is better when I'm happy. And it was only due to expressing that which I had kept within myself, that I've become at ease with myself.

Brain Burst is such an intricate game that all I know about it now may be a drop in the ocean. I still don't know a millimetre about Accel World.

But I know myself better, and that's the thing that matters more.

I'm thankful.

**Mirishira Accel World**  
><strong>fin.<strong>

**.**

First of all, I'd like to thank the author of Accel World: Kawahara, Reki. Without his triple overdose of worldbuilding pushed in your face every two pages, I wouldn't have grasped the kind of situation and argument he's making.

Second, my buddy Optimura for not holding back on the comments about my fight scenes, which in all honesty are the only things he cares about and bothers to read.

Third, HybridRoses, for taking the time and effort to review each and every chapter of Mirishira Accel World. Without her input, this story could have gone a very different direction, and not for the better.

And this finally marks my first multi-chapter fic that I've finished on FFN. Please leave your reviews and PM me if there's anything else you'd like to ask! (:

-Tusjecht, October 17th 2014.


	20. Preview: Episode Two

**Author's notes:**

Let me be honest. As much as I enjoyed writing _Mirishira Accel World_, I still got the feeling of unsatisfaction. Sure, my writing - and the way I felt about it - improved by leaps and bounds from Chapter 1 to The Decisive Battle, when my confidence grew and grew and GREW; but as it is, there's a lot left to explore.

Brain Burst. The game that allows duelling at all levels, but gives access to the Unlimited Neutral Field at Level 4. For the twelve-year-olds who play, what does the effect of the UNF's introduction do? It's a world without rules: no goals set by the creator, just Enemies to fights, Points to spend, and buried treasure. As a tiny duel avatar in the vast, untamed wilderness that is as large as Japan itself, what happens?

And then there's the matter of my characters. Gunsou, Misawa, Mikiseki, Tatesuke... all of them! What more could they do? What else _can_ they do? The sky is the limit to the Rule of Awesome. Even their adversaries, they're not mindless enemies nor opponents for the sake of having an antagonist. Guardsman Railgun - young Tetsuo Chihaya, he had a budding future ahead of him, until it all came down and drove him to seek power in the virtual reality. Is he really all that bad?

Everybody, gather and listen. The tale of our young boys and girls hasn't ended, their troubles aren't resolved yet. At twelve years old, didn't you think the world was yours, only for it to come crashing down?

I present to you, dear reader, the preview to _Mirishira Accel World: Episode Two._ Please, enjoy!

-:-:-:-

CODE NAME: _RULES OF NATURE_

STAGE: _DEMONIC CITY (NIGHT)_

FIGHTERS: _GULF BEAST_ vs _TURQUOISE DURO_

The moment Gunsou's eyes met his opponent's, his experience already told him this would be one of those enemies you meet once in a while. Just as there are Burst Linkers with great positive force that drove them to seek new heights, there were also fewer players who fought under the urge to become stronger and compensate for their weaknesses no matter what was the prize.

Gulf Beast unmistakably was in the second category.

The moment they met at the road intersection in the alien city after three minutes of looking for each other, no words or any form of greeting was exchanged. They were both Level 4 veterans, who had fought countless duels just to make it there. Both were close quarters fighters whose only weapon were their bodies, clad in heavy, blue-coloured armor.

Turquoise Duro was the larger one, clad in reliable, clear blue-green armour styled vaguely after a combination between a knight and a boxer, which shone brightly even in the middle of the sickening green mist blanketing their dueling field. Gulf Beast was far shorter, his armor made from the pelt and skin of various reptilians and mammals far less reliable, yet there was something that was sickeningly dangerous about him.

Measuring each step they took, they ignored the clamour of the less expert Gallery members for them to quit staring and begin wrassling.

-"No hard feelings."

The voice that came from beneath the helmet sounded years younger than the wisdom necessary to send such a powerful message with so few words. To the controller of Gulf Beast, the background, the friends, the path Kihara Gunsou had walked up to that point was devoid of any meaning. To him, the only thing that ever mattered was taking more Burst Points, for whatever purpose he had in mind, and for that he would not hesitate to use his empty hands and willingly inflict suffering upon the person in front of him.

As far as he cared, Turquoise Duro was a walking Burst Point dispenser.

-"Hey. Do you recall someone named «Cul Artillery»?"

This time, the voice that filled the empty air was Duro's. It sounded far less wise, yet it somehow seemed far more mature and assuring than the hate-filled, power-hungry Beast, who simply shrugged as if saying 'As if I remember the bitches and idiots I beat up everyday.'

For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence. Then, a Gallery member who up until then had stayed silent, laughed aloud because of some funny comment the other guy, Lucky Lunatic, had said.

As though this was the starting signal for them, Gulf Beast shot forward like a hungry predator, his fists clenched and rocketing for his prey-!

**to be continued.**

I won't be adding new chapters to _I don't know a millimetre about Accel World!_ but rather, I'll be adding this as a new story entry of its own. Follow me and stay tuned!

UPDATE: _Episode Two_ is up as of Nov 9th! Give your love there; this story has had enough for one poor writer!


End file.
